BERKELEY 

LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIPO«NIA 


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ONE  HUNDRED 


SHOET    SERMONS; 

•fcT.  ; ;-  ^ 

BEING  A  PLAIN  AND  FAMILIAR  EXPOSITION  OF 

r  .».f! 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED;  THE  LORD'S  PRAYER;  THE  ANGELICAL  SALUTATION; 

THE  COMMANDMENTS  OF  GOD;  THE  PRECEPTS  OF  THE  CHURCH;  THE 

SEVEN  SACRAMENTS;  AND  THE  SEYEN  DEADLY  SINS. 


BY  H.  J.  THOMAS, 

CANON  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  LIEGE,  BELGIUM. 


®rcw0iate&  from  tlje  4FrencI), 
BY  REV.  G.  A.  HAMILTON. 


WITH  AN 


INTRODUCTION, 

"^'^  #  * 

BY  M.  J.  SPALDIISTG,  D.D., 


BISHOP  OF  LOUISVILLE. 


t 

LOUISVILLE,  KY: 
WEBB    &    LEVERING. 

1859. 


IQAN  STACK 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1859,  by 

WEBB  <fc  LEVERING, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Kentucky. 




Stereotyped  by  Hills,  O'Driscoll  &  Co., 
141  Main  St.,  Cincinnati. 


TO   THE 

VERY  REV.  JOSEPH  T.  JARBOE,  O.S.D. 

FRB3SI3DENT    OB1 

8INSINAWA     MOUND    COLLEGE, 

THZ 

TRANSLATOR  BEGS  TO  INSCRIBE  THESE 

SHOKT     SEEMONS, 

AS  A  SLIGHT 

TESTIMONIAL  OF  GKATITUDE 

FOE  FAVOKS  RECEIVED. 


473 


it 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 

SERMON.  PAQB 

INTRODUCTION, $ 

I.— The  Teachings  of  Keligion, 15 

II.— On  Faith, 20 

APOSTLES'    CREED. 

III.— Existence  of  God, 25 

IV. — Omnipotence  of  God, 30 

V. — God  is  Everywhere  ;  God  Knows  All  Things, 35 

VI.— Goodness  of  God, 39 

VII. — Providence  of  God, 44 

VIIL— The  World  and  the  Angels, 49 

IX. — Creation  and  Sin  of  the  first  Man, 53 

X. — The  Incarnation, 58 

•XL — Conception  and  Birth  of  Jesus  Christ,  63 

XII. — The  Infant  Saviour 67 

XIII. — Life  of  our  Divine  Saviour, 72 

XIV. — Sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ, 76 

XV. — Resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  81 

XVI. — Ascension  of  Jesus  Christ, 86 

XVII.— On  Heaven, 90 

XVIII.— General  Judgment, 94 

XIX.— The  Holy  Ghost, 99 

XX.— The  Church, , 103 

XXL— Marks  of  the  Church, 108 

XXII.— Rule  of  Faith, 114 

XXIIL— Communion  of  Saints, 119 

XXIV. — Forgiveness  of  Sins  and  Resurrection  of  the  Body, .   124 

XXV,— The  Two  Eternities 129 

XXVL— Eternal  Life— or  Death, 134 

v 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PART    II. 

SERMON.  PAGE 

XXVIL— On  Hope, ..  HI 

XXVIIL— On  Prayer  in  General, 146 

XXIX. — Conditions  of  Prayer, 151 

THE   LORD'S    PRAYER. 

XXX. — First  Words  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 156 

XXXI.— First  Petition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 160 

XXXII. — Second  and  Third  Petitions  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 165 

XXXIII.— Fourth  and  Fifth  Petitions  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 169 

XXXIV.— Sixth  and  Seventh  Petitions  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 173 

THE    HAIL    MARY. 

XXXV.— The  Hail  Mary, 178 

XXXVI.— Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 182 

XXXVIL— Imitation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 187 


PART    III. 

XXXVIIL— The  Love  of  God, 193 

XXXIX.— Love  of  our  Neighbor, 197 

XL. — The  Commandments  of  God  in  General, 201 

TEN    COMMANDMENTS. 

XLI. — FIRST. — Adoration  of  God, 205 

XLII.  Invocation  of  Saints, „ 210 

XLIIL — SECOND. — On  Taking  the  Lord's  Name, 214 

XLIV.  On  the  Sin  of  Profanity, 219 

XLV. — THIRD. — Sanctification  of  the  Lord's  Day, 223 

XLVI.  Sanctification  of  the  Lord's  Day. — (Continued),  . . .  228 

XL VII. — FOURTH. — Duties  of  Children  to  their  Parents, 232 

XLVIII.  Duties  of  Children  to  their  Parents.— (Continued)  237 

XLIX.  Duties  of  Parents, 242 

L.  Duties  of  Servants  to  their  Masters, 247 

LL  Duties  of  Masters  to  their  Servants, 252 

LIL— FIFTH.— On  Murder, 257 

LIII.  On  Scandal 262 

LIV.— SIXTH.— On  Adultery, 266 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

SKRMOW.  PAGK. 

LV.— SEVENTH.— On  Theft,  271 

I, VI.                       On  Theft.— (Continued),. . . . 276 

LVII.                      Restitution, 281 

LVIII. — EIGHTH. — False  Testimony, 285 

LIX.                          Detraction, 289 

LX.                           Evil  Suspicions  and  Hash  Judgments, 293 

LXI. — NINTH  AND  TENTH. — Bad  Thoughts  and  Desires, 298 


PART    IV. 

PRECEPTS    OF    THE    CHURCH. 

LXIL— Precepts  of  the  Church  in  General 303 

LXIIL— FIRST.— Festivals  of  the  Church 307 

LXIV. — SECOND. — Excellence  and  End  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  312 

LX V.  The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. — (Continued), 316 

LXVI. — THIRD  AND  FOURTH. — Confession — Easter  Communion, ....  320 

LXVII. — FIFTH  AND  SIXTH. — Fasts  of  the  Church 325 

LXVIIL— On  Grace 330 


PART    V. 

SEVEN    SACRAMENTS. 

LXIX. — On  the  Sacraments  in  General 339 

LXX. — On  Baptism, 344 

LXXI.— Sacrament  of  Baptism. — (Continued), 349 

LXXIL — Sacrament  of  Confirmation, 353 

LXXIIL— On  the  Eucharist, 357 

LXXIV.— Effects  of  the  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist 362 

LXXV. — Dispositions  for  Communion, , 366 

LXXVI. — On  a  Bad  Communion, 370 

LXXVII. — On  Frequent  Communion, 374 

LXXVIIL— On  the  Sacrament  of  Penance 379 

LXXIX.— On  the  Examination  of  Conscience, 383 

LXXX.— On  Contrition, 388 

LXXXI. — Firm  Purpose  of  Amendment 393 

LXXXIL— On  Confession, 398 

LXXXIII.— On  Confession.— (Continued) 403 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

SIRMON.  PAOI. 

LXXXIV.— On  Satisfaction  or  Penance, 408 

LXXXV.— On  Indulgences 413 

LXXXVI. — On  Extreme  Unction, . 418 

LXXXVIL— Holy  Orders, 422 

LXXXVIIL— On  the  Sacrament  of  Matrimony, 427 


PART    VI. 

LXXXIX.— On  Sin  in  General, 433 

XC.— On  Sin.— (Continued) 438 

XCI. — On  Mortal  Sin, , 442 

XCIL— On  Venial  Sin, 447 

SEVEN    DEADLY    SINS. 

XCIIL— On  Pride, 452 

XCIV. — On  Avarice  or  Covetousness, 455 

XCV.— On  Lust  or  Impurity, 463 

XCVL— On  Envy, 467 

XCVIL— On  Gluttony  or  Intemperance, 472 

XCVIIL— On  Anger, 477 

XCIX.— On  Sloth 482 

C. — On  our  Inclination  to  Sin, 487 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  HUNDRED  SHORT  SERMONS  of  Canon  Thomas,  now  pre- 
sented for  the  first  time  to  the  American  public,  may  be  said 
to  constitute  an  epitome  of  Moral  Theology,  and  of  Dogmatic 
Theology  also,  so  far  as  this  is  connected  with  Moral.  The 
chief  characteristics  which  mark  these  discourses  are  brevity, 
clearness,  solidity,  simplicity,  unction,  method  and  thorough- 
ness. 

The  Canon  Penitentiary  of  Liege  has  much  to  say,  and  he 
says  it  well,  without  superfluity  of  words  or  circumlocution. 
He  goes  straight  to  the  point,  and  deals  seldom  or  but  slightly 
in  incidental  matter,  or  in  illustrations  not  directly  pertinent 
to  the  subject.  "When  you  have  read  one  of  his  SHORT  SERMONS, 
you  have  before  you  the  skeleton  of  a  much  more  lengthy 
discourse ;  with  all  its  parts  in  their  proper  places,  and  the 
whole  well  knit  together.  He  is  terse  and  condensed,  without 
becoming  either  dry  or  obscure.  And  withal,  there  is  a  sim- 
plicity and  an  unction  in  the  style  and  manner,  which  attracts 
you  onward,  and  prevents  your  growing  weary.  In  a  moral 
or  devotional  work  this  is  a  great  recommendation. 

But  what  chiefly  distinguishes  the  SHORT  SERMONS  from 
many  other  works  of  the  kind  with  which  we  are  acquainted, 
are  the  qualities  of  method  and  thoroughness.  The  Canon's 
method  is  based  upon  correct  theological  principles,  and  he 
carries  out  his  plan  so  thoroughly  as  almost  to  exhaust  the 

Ox) 


INTRODUCTION. 


whole  subject  of  Christian  morals  and  doctrine;  for  many 
points  in  Christian  morals  can  not  be  understood,  much  less 
developed,  without  a  study  and  unfold  ing  of  the  doctrines  on 
which  they  are  grounded.  The  Hundred  Sermons  are  not  on 
detached  or  disconnected  subjects ;  they  follow  one  another  in 
regular  order,  and  form  a  compact  whole,  remarkable  for  a 
Catholic  unity  growing  out  of  the  admirable  harmony  of  its 
various  parts.  One  subject  naturally  leads  to  another,  and 
this  to  the  following,  in  regular  logical  sequence.  Thus  the 
series  is  complete,  and  the  amount  of  matter  embraced  in  so 
narrow  a  compass  is  wonderful. 

A  few  words  on  the  method  adopted  by  the  author  will 
more  fully  explain  our  meaning,  and  will,  at  the  same  time, 
serve  as  a  not  inappropriate  Introduction  to  the  work. 

The  Canon's  plan  is  based  upon  a  theological  principle 
which  is  not  new,  but,  on  the  contrary,  very  old  and  very  well 
known.  It  is  this:  that  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity  are  the 
elements  of  the  inner  Christian  life,  and  constitute  the  soul 
of  the  Church.  These  three  great  theological  virtues  lift  up 
man  unto  God,  and  keep  him  united  with  God.  They  con- 
stitute the  bonds  of  union  between  the  soul  and  its  Creator ; 
thus  carrying  out  the  etymological  meaning  of  the  word  Re- 
ligion. The  first  bond  of  union  between  the  soul  and  God, 
knitted  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  was  broken  by  the  primeval 
fall  of  man ;  the  second  bond,  by  which  the  manifold  evils 
which  followed  the  disruption  of  the  first  were  repaired,  was 
established  by  Jesus  Christ,  who  by  His  abundant  redemption 
thus  'bound  man  again  to  his  God. 

The  soul  has  three  faculties  in  the  natural  order,  and  she 
may  be  said  to  have  also  three  faculties  in  that  which  is 
supernatural.  By  FAITH,  she  is  taught  of  God ;  by  HOPE, 
she  is  lifted  up  to  God;  by  CHARITY,  she  is  united  with  God. 
The  Doctrines,  the  Moral  Precepts,  and  the  Sacraments, 
delivered  or  instituted  by  Jesus  Christ,  constitute  the  divine 
aliment  on  which  these  three  virtues  feed,  and  by  which  they 
are  kept  alive  and  in  vigorous  operation  ;  while  the  solemn 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

warnings  which  He  uttered  against  sin  point  to  the  poison 
which  is  to  be  carefully  guarded  against  in  the  spiritual  warfare. 
The  method  of  the  SHORT  SERMONS  is  based  upon  this  idea. 
The  series  is  divided  into  Six  Parts,  concerning  each  of  which 
we  will  offer  a  few  remarks. 

I.  The  First  Part  treats  of  FAITH,  which  is  "  the  beginning, 
the  root,  and  the  foundation  of  all  justification,"  according  to 
the  holy  Council  of  Trent.     It  embraces  twenty-six  Sermons ; 
the  first  two  of  which  are  on  the  nature  and  characteristics  of 
Faith,  and  the  remaining  twenty-four  furnish  an  exposition 
of  the  leading  articles  of  Faith  contained  in  the  Apostles' 
Creed. 

II.  The  Second  Part  is  on  HOPE,  "  by  which  we  are  saved." 
It  contains  eleven  Sermons ;  the  first  of  which  is  on  the  na- 
ture and  grounds  of  Hope,  and  the  remainder  on  prayer  in 
general,  and  on  the  various  parts  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
the  Angelical  Salutation.     Hope,  based  itself  on  Faith,  origi- 
nates and  elicits  trustful  prayer  to  God,  invoking  His  all 
powerful  and  all  bountiful  aid  in  our  manifold  sorrows,  neces- 
sities and  sins  ;  and  it  also  inspires  earnest  and  confident  peti- 
tions to  Her — "  Our  tainted  nature's  solitary  boast" — who  is 
the  sweet  Mother  of  our  Saviour  God   and  Elder  Brother 
Jesus  Christ ;  and  who  is,  by  the  fact,  our  Mother  also,  ever 
ready  to  look  down  on  us  with  a  Mother's  eye  from  her  bright 
seat  in   the  heavens,  and   ever   prepared,  with  a  Mother's 
readiness  and  a  Mother's  undying  love,  to  extend  to  us  in  our 
necessities  and  dangers  a  Mother's  powerful  protection,  by 
efficacious  intercession  in  our  behalf  with  her  divine  Son. 
He  whom  she  bore,  and  who  never  refused  her  any  thing  on 
earth,  will  not  surely  refuse  to  grant  her  petitions  in  heaven. 

III.  The  Third  Part  treats  of  CHARITY,  in  its  twofold  aspect ; 
the  love  of  God  above  all  things,  and  the  love  of  our  neighbor 
as  ourselves.     The  test  of  love,  given  by  our  blessed  Lord 
himself,  is  the  keeping  of  the  Commandments.     Hence,  after 
first  treating  in  general  of  the  love  of  God  and  of  the  neigh- 
bor, the  author  devotes  the  remaining  Sermons  of  this  part  to 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

a  lucid  explanation  of  the  Ten  Commandments  of  God,  un- 
folding the  nature  of  their  divine  precepts,  the  powerful 
motives  for  observing  them,  and  the  practical  manner  of  doing 
so  with  a  fidelity  persevering  even  unto  the  end.  This  is 
accomplished  in  twenty-four  Sermons. 

IV.  The  Fourth  Part  is  a  Sequel  to  the  Third.     It  treats  of 
the  Commandments  of  the  Church — which  Christ  commands 
us  to  hear — first  in  general,  and  then  on  each  one  of  the  Six 
in  particular,  thus  containing  seven  Sermons. 

V.  Next  to  the  Commandments  come  the  Sacraments,  which 
are  treated  of  in  twenty  solid  and  well  considered  discourses. 
The  Sacraments  are  the  divinely  constituted  channels  of  grace, 
and,  in  a  certain  sense,  the  organs  of  the  Church,  through 
which  its  soul — consisting  of  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity — lives 
and  breathes  in  this  outward  world.     "We  say  lives,  to  denote 
that  the   Sacraments,  though   they  somewhat  resemble   the 
organs  of  sense  in   the  body,   yet  contain  an  internal  life, 
which  the  merely  corporeal  organs  have  not.     It  belongs  to 
the  essence  of  a  Sacrament  to  have  a  body  and  a  soul ; — an 
external  form  or  organization,  and  an  internal  grace  or  life. 
The  grace  necessarily  follows  the  external  sign  or  emblem, 
unless  an  obstacle  be  interposed  by  human  perversity  daring 
to  receive  negligently  or  unworthily  the  holy  things  of  God. 
It  may  be  well  to  explain,  a  little  more  in  detail,  what  we 
mean  by  denominating  the  seven  Sacraments,  in  a  qualified 
sense,  the  organs  of  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity,  which,  as  we 
have  said,  constitute  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church. 

Baptism  may  be  called  the  Sacrament  of  Faith.  By  the 
early  Greek  Fathers,  it  was  called  the  Sacrament  of  Illumin- 
ation. By  it  we  are  initiated  into  the  body  of  true  believers, 
the  Church  of  the  Living  God.  By  it  and  through  it,  saving 
Faith  is  bestowed,  either  actually  or  in  its  infused  elements, 
on  the  recipient  who  opposes  no  obstacle  to  the  action  of 
grace.  In  Confirmation,  this  infused  faith  is  strengthened  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  who  thereby  enters  into  our  souls  and  hearts, 
to  enlighten  and  strengthen  them  for  the  combat.  By  the 


INTRODUCTION. 

Holy  Eucharist,  we  are  corporeally  and  sweetly  united  with 
Jesus  Christ  himself — the  Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life, — 
and,  at  the  same  time,  the  Living  Fountain  of  divine  Charity. 
In  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  the  wounds  which  we  may 
have  received  after  Baptism  in  the  battle  of  life  are  healed  ; 
while  by  Extreme  Unction,  the  traces  of  these  wounds — the 
remains  of  sin — are  removed  by  the  holy  unction  with  prayer, 
and  we  are  prepared  to  meet  with  Hope  the  Saviour  God  in 
judgment.  By  Holy  Orders  and  Matrimony,  we  receive 
special  graces  for  particular  conditions  and  callings  in  life. 

Thus  the  Seven  Sacraments  abundantly  supply  all  our  wants, 
and  afford  us  adequate  divine  aid  for  every  necessity  and  for 
every  emergency  of  life.  They  all  thus  feed  the  three  great 
virtues  of  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity.  They  strengthen  our 
weakness,  animate  our  Faith,  enliven  our  Hope,  and  inflame 
our  Charity.  They  all  lift  us  from  earth,  and  raise  us  up 
toward  heaven. 

VI.  After  the  lights  come  the  shadows.  After  considering 
the  aids  to  salvation  comes  serious  reflection  on  the  obstacles 
which  may  interpose.  The  work  would  be  thus  obviously 
incomplete,  if  it  presented  only  the  efficacy  of  Faith,  the  con- 
solation of  Hope,  and  the  sweetness  of  Charity,  with  the  arms 
of  the  holy  Sacraments  by  which  these  virtues  achieve  victory 
over  the  devil,  the  world,  and  the  flesh.  It  must  exhibit  along 
with  the  wholesome  food  the  poison  also,  that  we  may  beware 
of  it ;  and  by  the  side  of  the  armory  of  God,  the  weapons 
likewise  of  Satan,  that  we  may  be  able  skillfully  to  parry 
them,  and  to  turn  them  away  harmless.  Without  this  neces- 
sary safe-guard,  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity  would  fail  effectually 
to  accomplish  their  noble  work  of  redemption.  We  would  be 
exposed  to  lose  these  virtues  in  the  great  battle ;  we  would 
tall  mortally  wounded,  die  in  sin,  and  be  lost  eternally ! 

Hence  the  author  of  the  SHORT  SERMONS  devotes  a  Sixth 
Part  to  the  consideration  of  Sin  in  general,  and  of  the  Seven 
Deadly  Sins  in  particular.  This  Part  contains  twelve  Ser- 
mons, and  these  complete  the  work. 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

We  are  quite  sure  that  the  translation  will  present,  sub- 
stantially at  least,  these  great  elements  of  the  original  work. 
That  it  will  reflect  all  its  excellencies  of  style  and  manner,  all 
its  simplicity  and  holy  unction  ; — would  be  more  than  it  would 
be  reasonable  to  expect  from  any  translation.  Great  care  has 
been  taken  to  make  it  as  perfect  as  possible.  Our  own  con- 
stant engagements  have  necessarily  prevented  us  from  attend- 
ing to  all  the  details ;  but  we  have  relied  on  others  whom  we 
deem  at  least  equally  competent  to  superintend  the  publica- 
tion ;  and  we  therefore  cordially  recommend  the  work  to  the 
patronage  of  the  public. 

The  SHORT  SERMONS  will  be  found  valuable,  not  merely  to  the 
priest  who  wishes  to  instruct  others,  but  also  to  the  people 
who  are  to  be  instructed,  in  the  ways  of  salvation.  They  will 
form  an  excellent  and  most  useful  book  for  the  family.  Those 
who  may  not  be  able  to  assist  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  on  every 
Sunday  and  Holyday  of  the  year  may  usefully  read  one  or  two 
of  these  Sermons,  either  privately  for  their  own  profit,  or  in 
the  family  for  the  instruction  of  all  under  their  charge. 

Every  priest  and  every  Catholic  family  in  the  Union  should 
possess  a  copy  of  a  work  so  very  valuable  in  itself,  and  so 
strongly  recommended  by  the  highest  ecclesiastical  authorities 
in  Europe. 


SHORT   SERMONS. 
PART  I. 


SERMON  I. 

THE   TEACHINGS    OF    RELIGION. 


"Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,    *    *     *     teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things,  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." — ST.  MATTHEW,  xxviii :  19,  20. 

WHEN  the  Apostles  had  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  were 
mindful  of  the  command  which  our  divine  Saviour  had  given  them, 
and,  dividing  the  world  among  themselves,  went  forth,  publish- 
ing everywhere,  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel  —  the  heavenly 
doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  the  only  true  doctrine,  because 
it  alone  came  from  God.  This  sacred  deposit  of  truth,  which  the 
Son  of  God  revealed  to  men,  has  been  intrusted  to  the  care  of  His 
Church,  which  communicates  it  to  all  nations.  It  is  this  holy 
Church  that  sends  me  among  you,  to  instruct  you  in  the  science 
of  God.  I  know  your  faith,  your  piety,  your  great  desire  to  please 
God  in  all  things,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  love  the  word  of  God, 
and  that  you  will  come  to  hear  it  with  attention  and  alacrity. 

But,  0  my  Saviour !  In  vain  do  I  plant,  in  vain  do  I  water ; 
the  land  which  Thou  requirest  me  to  cultivate,  will  remain  barren, 
unless  Thou,  O  Sun  of  Justice,  deign  to  warm  it  with  Thy  rays, 

(15) 


16  SHORT   SERMONS. 

and  bedew  it  with  the  showers  of  Thy  heavenly  grace.  Open 
then,  0  Lord !  the  hearts  of  my  hearers,  that  they  may  thoroughly 
understand  the  advantages  which  Thy  adorable  Eeligion  procures 
for  them.  This  is  the  special  grace  I  implore  of  Thee,  through 
the  intercession  of  thine  own  most  blessed  Mother. 

Religion  flashes  her  divine  light  upon  our  eyes,  illumines  our 
judgment,  and  leads  our  reason  with  a  sure  and  steady  step  along 
the  road  of  truth.  Whence  am  I  come  into  this  world  ?  For  what 
end  was  life  given  to  me  ?  And  what  is  my  destiny  ?  I  see  men, 
like  myself;  are  we  brethren?  What  are  the  duties  we  owe  to 
each  other  ?  What  is  God  ?  Are  we  the  creatures  of  His  hands  ? 
And  does  He  watch  over  us  ?  What  are  the  duties  we  owe  Him  ? 
What  is  the  homage  we  should  offer  Him,  and  what  worship  should 
we  render  to  Him  ?  These,  my  Brethren,  are  questions  of  the  greatest 
importance,  and  they  should  be  answered  plainly,  solidly,  and 
truly.  But  do  not  expect  an  answer  to  these  questions  from  unaided 
reason.  It  can  give  none.  This  is  clearly  proved  by  the  fact,  that 
the  pagan  philosophers  of  antiquity,  otherwise  learned  and  enlight- 
ened, plunged  into  the  most  deplorable  absurdities ;  and  that  the 
proud  and  conceited  minds  of  our  own  age,  refusing  to  admit  divine 
revelation  as  a  guide  in  their  search  after  truth,  have  fallen  into 
errors  no  less  monstrous  and  absurd.  Ask,  my  Brethren,  your  own 
reason  and  your  own  understanding,  and  what  answer  do  you 
receive?  None.  The  suitable  answer  can  be  found  only  in  the 
teachings  of  the  Religion  established  by  the  Son  of  God.  Let  us, 
then,  give  thanks  to  our  Saviour ;  He  is  the  Sun  of  Justice  and  of 
Truth,  that  hath  shone  upon  the  world,  and  dispelled  the  darkness 
of  error  and  superstition.  Yes,  0  my  God !  it  is  Thy  grace  alone 
that  makes  us  saints  as  well  as  sages.  Thou  alone  canst  inform  us 
of  our  origin,  what  is  our  vocation,  what  are  our  duties  to  Thee,  to 
others,  to  ourselves,  and  what  is  the  high  destiny  that  awaits  us  in 
eternity.  My  Brethren,  if  you  love  wisdom,  if  you  cherish  truth, 
listen  to  the  teaching  of  the  divine  Religion  of  our  Saviour,  which 
is  truth  itself,  without  admixture  of  error ;  it  is  the  source  of  light 
to  the  mind,  the  inexhaustible  treasure  of  peace  and  consolation  to 
the  conscience. 

I  have  duties  to  discharge  toward  my  God,  toward  my  neighbor. 
If  I  enter  into  myself  and  listen  to  the  voice  of  conscience,  I  am 


THE  TEACHINGS   OF   RELIGION.  17 

constrained  to  admit  that  I  have  not  been  invariably  faithful  to  the 
holy  law  of  the  Lord ;  that  I  have  very  often  sinned.  God  is  holy, 
God  is  just ;  He  must  therefore  hate  sin, — he  must  punish  it.  Is  it 
possible  for  me  to  merit  pardon  from  God  ?  Is  it  possible  for  me 
to  be  re  instated  in  his  favor  and  friendship  ?  What  must  I  do  ? 
Ah !  if  on  this  point  we  are  in  doubt,  can  our  hearts  be  at  rest  ? 
No.  Yet,  in  vain  do  I  ask  my  reason,  and  take  counsel  with  my 
intellect ;  they  are  powerless  to  give  me  an  answer  sufficient  to  dis- 
pel my  disquiet  and  to  calm  my  justly  alarmed  conscience.  Ah ! 
well  may  I  tremble ;  for  at  any  moment,  death  may  summon  me 
before  the  tribunal  of  the  Sovereign  Judge.  But  thanks  to  Thee,  0 
Jesus !  Thou  hast  proclaimed  to  me  the  hideousness,  the  enormity, 
and  the  danger  of  sin ;  but  Thou  hast  also  announced  the  great 
mercy  and  bounty  of  our  heavenly  Father,  who  will  never  reject 
the  humble  and  contrite  of  heart.  Yes,  sin  shuts  heaven  against 
us,  opens  a  hell  under  our  feet,  where  the  wicked  shall  be  forever 
punished.  But  blessed  be  Thou,  O  Son  of  God !  who  didst  come 
among  us  and  burden  Thyself  with  our  iniquities,  which  Thou  didst 
expiate  by  Thy  death  on  the  cross.  Blessed  be  Thou,  0  Saviour 
of  the  world,  for  having  left  in  the  bosom  of  Thy  Church  a  treasure 
of  grace  and  mercy  arising  from  Thy  own  divine  merits, — the1  pre- 
cious sacrament  of  penance.  The  sinner  humbles  himself,  con- 
fesses his  crime,  makes  a  resolution  of  amendment,  and  Jesus  says 
to  him,  by  the  mouth  of  his  priest:  "Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee, 
go  in  peace,"  and  peace  and  innocence  reenter  the  heart  of  the  poor 
sinner. 

When  you  witness  the  disorders  which  prevail  in  the  world,  you 
are  troubled  and  confused,  you  murmur  and  complain  at  the  unequal 
distribution  of  riches  and  enjoyments,  of  good  and  evil  in  this  life. 
But  listen  to  the  teachings  of  Religion ;  it  is  in  this  school  you  will 
learn  to  confide  in  divine  Providence,  and  in  the  love  of  your  heavenly 
Father,  whose  ways  and  designs  are  as  far  above  the  thoughts  and 
designs  of  men,  as  heaven  is  above  the  earth.  It  is  in  the  school 
of  Religion,  and  here  only,  that  we  can  learn  to  a  certainty,  the 
wisdom  of  God,  who  rules,  disposes,  regulates,  and  penetrates  all 
things,  from  one  extremity  of  the  universe  to  the  other,  with  an 
infinite  power,  with  admirable  sweetness,  with  an  unbounded  love 
for  our  greater  good,  and  especially  for  our  eternal  salvation.  Receive, 
2 


18  SHORT   SERMONS. 

therefore,  with  all  humility  and  submission,  the  lessons  which  Religion 
teaches  us,  and  your  discontents  will  cease,  your  murmurs  will  sub- 
side, peace  and  happiness  will  be  restored  to  you,  and  in  your  pains 
and  sorrows,  you  shall  be  favored  with  many  heavenly  consolations. 
And  who  is  the  man  that  does  not  stand  in  need  of  consolation  ? 
Who  is  the  man  that  has  not  to  travel  the  road  of  affliction  ?     Ah ! 
how  numerous,  how  various  are  our  sufferings   and  our  crosses? 
Who  can  enumerate  the  pains,  both  inward  and  outward,  the  afflic- 
tions of  the  body,  the  tribulations  of  the  soul,  and  all  the  troubles 
which  press  so  heavily  upon  mankind  ?     Groaning  under  the  weight 
of  sorrows,  who  will  come  to  apply  to  us  the  balm  of  consolation  ? 
You  tell  me  to  have  courage ;  but  where  shall  we  obtain  this  courage 
so  necessary  to  support  us  ?     Yes,  you  would  come  to  inspire  me 
with  courage  and  give  me  strength,  but  you  are  unable.     Religion 
is  our  only  true  comforter,  the  only  source  of  consolation  and  of  true 
courage.     Religion  tells  me :  Sufferings  come  from  God ;  He  chas- 
tises you,  because  He  loves  you,  that  you  may  expiate  your  sins, 
and  that  you  may  be  rich  in  merits  before  you  receive  the  rewards 
of  heaven.     Ah !  if  you  knew  the  great  value  of  the  cross  and  of 
sufferings,  you  would  be  prepared  to  say  with  St.  Augustine:   "I 
weigh  well  what  I  suffer  along  with  what  I  hope  for,  and  I  find  the 
weight  of  my  sufferings  infinitely  lighter  than  the  weight  of  glory 
which  my  afflictions  will  procure  for  me.     Here  below  we  drink  but 
a  little  drop  of  the  bitter  waters  of  tribulation ;  but  in  heaven  we 
shall  be  overwhelmed  with  the  overflowing  fountain  of  unspeakable 
delights."     Thus  it  is  that  the  adorable  Religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
pours  into  the  suffering  and  afflicted  heart  the  balm  of  consolation, 
fills  us  with  a  holy  hope,  and  points  us  to  heaven  as  the  reward  of 
our  patience. 

Life  is  like  a  flower,  which  in  the  morning  blooms,  and  in  the 
evening  fades.  Every  day,  death  strikes  at  us  on  every  side,  and  it 
may  at  any  moment  arrest  us  in  the  midst  of  our  career.  Very 
soon  I  shall  descend  to  the  tomb ;  but  am  I  nothing  more  than  dust 
and  ashes  ?  Is  my  soul  as  well  as  my  body  subject  to  death  ?  If 
my  soul  survives,  whither  shall  it  go,  and  what  shall  become  of  it  ? 
The  prince  of  philosophers  has  said  with  despair:  "I  do  not  know 
what  will  take  place  after  death."  But,  my  Brethren,  the  Son  of 
God  came  down  from  heaven  to  reveal  our  future.  No,  no,  the 


THE     TEACHINGS    OF    RELIGION.  19 

existence  of  man  is  not  confined  to  the  limits  of  this  short  life. 
Do  you  believe  that  the  only  being  of  creation  whom  God  has 
endowed  with  superior  faculties,  the  only  one  who  stands  erect 
and  looks  toward  heaven,  shall  be  nothing  but  dust  and  putrefac- 
tion !  You  have  a  soul  which  is  immortal,  and  which  has  nothing 
to  fear  from  the  corruption  of  the  grave ;  it  came  from  God,  and  to 
God  it  must  return.  The  darkness  which  surrounds  us  in  death 
shall  not  be  eternal,  you  shall  rise  fuJJ  of  life.  Happy  shall  you  be 
if  you  are  not  attached  to  the  vanities  of  the  world;  if  you  are 
faithful  to  God  and  to  His  holy  Religion,  if  you  live  as  true  Chris- 
tians ;  for  then  you  shall  inhabit  the  place  where  our  divine  Chief 
dwells,  you  shall  participate  in  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  happiness 
of  His  elect.  How  consoling  a  hope !  And  this  hope  is  laid  up 
in  my  heart !  0,  how  I  love  and  bless  thee  and  the  good  things 
thou  containest,  0,  adorable  Religion  of  my  Saviour !  It  is  this 
Religion,  built  upon  the  word  of  God,  which  makes  known  to  us 
the  goodness  of  our  heavenly  Father,  our  own  dignity  and  great- 
ness, and  the  felicity  that  awaits  us  in  heaven. 

My  Brethren,  the  teachings  of  the  Religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  im- 
parts truth  to  our  minds,  gives  a  calm  peace  to  the  repenting  sinner, 
reveals  the  future,  and  fills  us  with  hope.  In  order  to  learn  this 
wholesome  doctrine,  the  people  crowded  with  eagerness  around  our 
divine  Saviour.  These  are  the  same  precepts,  wrhich  our  Lord 
charges  me  to  teach  you.  I  shall  acquit  myself  of  my  holy  mission 
with  all  the  zeal  of  which  I  am  capable,  and  I  shall  do  so  with 
pleasure  and  success ;  for  you  too  are  eager  to  learn  the  word  of 
God.  May  the  kingdom  of  truth  be  established  in  your  hearts  and 
minds,  may  you  know  God  and  His  divine  Son,  your  duties  and 
your  destiny ;  may  you  know  the  way  which  will  conduct  you  to 
the  practice  of  virtue,  to  wisdom,  to  perfection,  to  heaven.  My 
God !  bless  my  efforts.  Let  Thy  grace  accompany  my  words,  or 
rather  place  upon  my  lips  the  words  which  will  best  make  Thee 
known,  loved  and  served,  by  every  one  whom  Thou  desirest  that  I 
should  lead  into  the  way  of  Thy  adorable  truth  and  commandments, 
that  they  may  be  found  worthy  of  the  infinite  reward  which  Thou 
dost  reserve  for  us  in  in  a  blessed  eternity. — AMEN. 


20  SHORT    SERMONS. 


SERMON  II. 
ON 'FAITH. 


"  But  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  he  gave  power  to  be  made  the  sons  of 
God,  to  them  that  believed  in  his  name." — ST.  JOHN,  iv  :  12. 

THE  time  of  this  our  present  life,  is  granted  to  us,  in  order  that  we 
may  know,  love,  and  serve  the  Lord  our  God.  If  we  employ,  in 
this  holy  exercise,  the  few  days  which  we  have  to  spend  in  this 
world,  we  shall  most  certainly  merit  and  obtain  an  immortal  life 
in  the  mansions  of  our  heavenly  Father.  But  those  only  know, 
love,  and  serve  the  Lord,  who  believe  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  the  Son 
of  God  made  man,  follow  His  doctrine,  do  what  He  commands,  and 
hope  for  what  He  promises.  How  important,  then,  it  is  for  you  to 
know  this  salutary  doctrine,  this  divine  religion,  the  practice  of 
which,  enlivened  and  sanctified  by  the  love  of  God,  leads  to  celes- 
tial happiness.  But  Faith  is  the  light,  without  which,  as  St.  Paul 
teaches  us,  we  can  neither  discover,  invoke,  nor  serve  our  God.  I 
shall,  therefore,  commence  the  course  of  instructions  on  Christian 
doctrine,  which  I  propose  giving  you,  by  treating  of  Faith  in 
general ;  and  afterward,  I  shall  explain  the  principal  truths  which 
the  Saviour  has  revealed  to  the  world,  and  which  are  contained  in 
the  Apostles'  Creed. 

What  is  Faith?  Faith  is  a  gift  of  God,  and  a  supernatural 
virtue,  by  which  we  firmly  believe  in  God  and  all  the  truths  which 
the  Church  teaches,  because  God,  who  has  revealed  them,  is  truth 
itself.  It  is  important,  my  Brethren,  that  you  thoroughly  understand 
the  definition  of  Faith.  I  therefore  proceed  to  explain  all  its  terms 
and  words : 

In  the  first  place,  I  say,  Faith  is  a  gift  of  God,  and  a  supernatural 
virtue:  that  is  to  sav,  Faith  comes  not  from  ourselves,  it  is  not  our 


ON    FAITH.  21 

own  production ;  we  can  never  have  it  in  our  hearts,  except  through 
an  effect  of  God's  goodness  and  liberality.  It  is  a  supernatural 
virtue ;  we  can  not  acquire  it  by  our  natural  powers  alone,  it  can 
come  only  from  heaven.  In  fact,  says  the  Apostle,  "it  is  by  grace 
you  are  saved  through  Faith,  and  this  not  of  yourselves,  for  it  is 
the  gift  of  God;  not  of  works,  that  no  man  may  glory."*  Faith 
comes  from  God,  and  without  Faith  we  can  not  be  saved.  No,  the 
Holy  Ghost  says,  "without  Faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God." 
The  wrath  of  God  falls  with  all  its  weight  upon  the  children  of 
incredulity.  These  words  are  but  the  development  of  what  Christ 
himself  teaches  us,  when  He  says,  "whosoever  will  not  believe, 
shall  be  condemned;"  he  is  already  judged,  he  is  criminal,  his  infi- 
delity itself  is  his  condemnation, — he  is  dead  before  God.  0 
how  happy  are  you,  my  Brethren;  you  who  have  received  the 
Faith,  this  precious  gift  of  God !  It  is  a  grace  which  the  Lord  has 
not  granted  to  so  many  other  nations,  to  wThom  he  has  not  "made 
known  his  wonders. "f 

You  have  Faith ;  God  has  given  it  to  you ;  but  to  what  are  you 
indebted  for  this  privilege,  this  power  of  pleasing  God  ?  What 
have  you  done  to  render  yourselves  worthy  of  it  ?  Did  your  works 
obtain  this  favor  for  you  ?  Or  rather  is  not  Faith  the  principle  of 
all  your  meritorious  works  ?  You  are  indebted  for  this  precious 
gift  to  the  goodness  and  favor  of  God.  You  can  never  be  suffi- 
ciently thankful  to  the  Creator,  to  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  "for  no 
man  can  go  to  the  Father  except  through  the  Son."  In  fact,  the  very 
day  on  which  you  became  Christians,  and  received  the  gift  of  Faith 
at  the  baptismal  font,  there  were  millions  of  children  born  through- 
out the  whole  extent  of  the  earth,  who  had  not  the  same  happiness 
you  had ;  they  were  born  in  barbarous  and  idolatrous  countries,  in 
nations  where  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  is  shrouded  in  the 
darkness  of  the  most  monstrous  errors.  Many  are  dead  and  they 
shall  never  see  God ;  others,  blinde.d  by  superstition  and  vice,  hurry 
on  to  their  eternal  perdition.  Why  were  you  not  born  in  these 
countries  ?  Why  did  you  not  die  in  your  mother's  womb  ?  Why 
have  you  been  preferred  to  so  many  others?  "Virgin  of  Israel," 
saith  the  Lord,  "  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  eternal  love ;  behold  the 

*  Ephesians,  ii :  3.         f  Psalm  cxlvii. 


22  SHORT    SERMONS. 

reason  why,  taking  pity  on  thy  misery,  I  have  raised  thee  up  even 
unto  myself."  See  Christians ;  even  before  you  had  power  to 
think  of  Him,  God  loved  you;  this  is  the  reason  why  "he  has 
snatched  you  from  the  powers  of  darkness,  that  he  might  receive 
you  into  the  empire  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  well  beloved  Son,  by 
whose  blood  you  have  been  redeemed."  Bless  and  glorify  the  hand 
which  has  heaped  upon  you  so  many  favors ;  return  thanks  to  God 
for  His  goodness,  who  has  so  tenderly  loved  you,  adore  His  word, 
and  believe  in  Him,  but  belie ve  firmly. 

In  the  second  place,  I  say  that  Faith  is  a  gift  of  God,  and  a 
supernatural  virtue,  by  which  we  belie ve  firmly.  When  a  Catholic 
says :  "  I  believe ;"  it  is  as  if  he  said,  "  I  am  sure  there  is  nothing 
but  truth  in  every  thing  which  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  proposes 
to  my  belief,  and  I  believe  the  word  of  God  more  firmly  than  I 
would  believe  the  testimony  of  my  own  eyes,  and  the  judgment  of 
my  own  reason.  It  is  God  who  speaks  and  reveals  the  truth  which 
is  in  Him  from  all  eternity.  Can  I  refuse  to  hear  my  God  ?  No ; 
I  make  my  understanding  captive  unto  the  obedience  of  Faith,  and 
my  will  unto  the  yoke  of  the  law.  "  This  word  comes  from  God ;  "* 
it  must  be  believed ;  I  bow  down  before  God  with  a  willing  heart ; 
His  truth  conquers  me;  doubt  is  driven  from  my  mind;  retreating 
before  the  certainty  which  God  himself  establishes  in  my  soul. 
Yes,  Christians,  we  must  believe  firmly,  for  it  is  in  God  we  believe ; 
in  God,  who  is  supreme  wisdom,  infinite  goodness,  truth  itself;  who 
can  neither  be  deceived  nor  wish  to  deceive  us,  and  who,  whilst 
conducting  us  by  the  hand  of  His  infallible  Church,  will  never  per- 
mit us  to  fall  into  error  and  illusion. 

In  the  third  place,  I  say  by  Faith  we  believe  in  God  "and  all  the 
truths  which  the  Church  teaches ;  because  God,  who  has  revealed 
them,  is  truth  itself."  God  expressly  commands  that  we  should  believe 
all  the  dogmas  and  all  the  truths  which  he  has  revealed,  and  which 
the  Church  proposes  to  our  Faith.  He  wishes  and  requires  that  we 
should  believe  with  equal  confidence  every  word  He  has  spoken. 
For,  he  who  refuses  to  believe  even  one  single  article  of  religion, 
no  longer  possesses  the  precious  gift  of  Faith.  What !  Could  God 
permit  man  to  receive  only  some  of  His  truths,  and  leave  him  free 

*  Gonesis,  xxiv. 


ON   FAITH .  23 

to  despise  and  reject  others  with  scorn  ?  No,  the  man  that  presumes 
to  exercise  a  liberty  so  injurious  to  God,  ceases  to  believe  the  word 
of  God,  the  eternal  truth;  he  has  no  Faith,  he  follows  his  own 
opinion,  and  not  the  doctrine  of  God ;  he  grounds  himself  no  lon- 
ger on  the  veracity  of  God,  on  the  infallible  evidence  of  His  Church, 
but  on  the  fallible  testimony  of  his  own  judgment.  He  wishes  to 
make  God  an  impostor ;  he  has  no  real  Faith ;  the  light  of  God  no 
longer  sheds  its  enlivening  rays  upon  his  mind. 

But,  my  Brethren,  let  us  not  deceive  ourselves ;  there  are  degrees 
of  Faith.  It  may  be  more  or  less  fervent,  more  or  less  strong, 
without  ceasing  to  be  the  Faith  that  comes  from  God — the  true 
Faith.  The  Faith  of  that  father  mentioned  in  the  Gospel,  who 
exclaimed, — "I  do  believe,  Lord,  help  my  unbelief,"  was  weak, 
though  true,  and  pleasing  to  God.  Such  also  was  the  Faith  of  the 
disciples,  when  they  said  to  their  divine  Master,  "increase  our 
Faith."  Faith  is  a  virtue,  and,  like  all  other  virtues,  it  must  be 
proved  by  trials  in  the  heart  of  man.  Hence,  we  can  not  but  know 
that  our  minds  will  be  frequently  tormented  by  involuntary  doubts, 
which  come  in  despite  of  us,  and  render  us  a  prey  to  violent  agita- 
tions, by  which  our  soul  is  oppressed  and  afflicted.  The  greatest 
saints  have  not  always  been  exempt  from  these  trials.  Like  them, 
let  us  courageously  resist  all  such  temptations  which  test,  but  do 
not  lessen  our  Faith.  Coming  out  of  the  contest  victorious,  we 
shall  be  dearer  to  the  heart  of  God.  Above  all,  my  Brethren,  let 
us  guard  and  watch  diligently  over  this  precious  gift  of  Faith  which 
God  has  granted  us,  and  let  us  never  permit  any  willful  doubt  to 
enter  our  minds ;  for  by  willfully  doubting  the  truths  of  Faith,  we 
call  in  question  the  veracity  of  God  himself.  To  consent  to  doubts 
and  entertain  them  in  our  hearts,  would  effectually  expose  our  Faith 
to  that  sad  shipwreck  of  which  the  Apostle  speaks — a  misfortune 
that  would  plunge  us  into  the  abyss  of  eternal  death. 

It  is  necessary  to  believe  every  thing  that  God  and  his  Church 
propose  to  our  belief,  whether  they  are  the  doctrines  found  in  the 
sacred  books,  or  the  truths  which  holy  tradition  has  handed  down 
to  us.  The  Sacred  Scriptures  are  the  word  of  God,  and  they  con- 
tain nothing  but  what  is  true ;  but  they  do  not  embrace  all  revealed 
truth.  The  Sacred  Scriptures  themselves  say  that  there  are  many 
things  which  our  Saviour  and  Apostles  said  and  did  which  were  not 


24  SHORT   SERMONS. 

written.  Yet  not  one  iota  of  these  truths  coming  from  the  mouth 
of  God  is  lost,  or  ever  shall  be  lost.  No,  God  has  not  permitted 
it ;  on  the  contrary,  he  willed  that  all  these  words  and  truths  should 
pass  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  should  be  preserved  in  the  bosom 
of  his  Church.  These  dogmas  are  all  equally  true,  all  equally  the 
word  of  God,  and  when  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  proposes 
them  to  us,  we  ought  to  believe  them  firmly,  without  hesitating, 
without  doubting,  if  we  desire  to  keep  the  Faith  which  pleases  God, 
and  the  Faith  which  comes  from  God. 

God  grant,  my  Brethren,  that  the  instruction  which  you  have  just 
heard  may  be  deeply  engraven  upon  your  memory ;  may  you  never 
forget  that  which,  as  Catholics,  you  are  bound  to  believe  in  heart 
and  soul ;  may  you  never  lose  sight  of  the  obligations  you  are  under 
to  God,  for  the  great  benefit  of  your  vocation  to  the  true  Faith,  for 
the  preference  which  He  has  shown  you  in  distinguishing  you  from 
so  many  others,  who  live  and  die  in  the  darkness  of  error.  0 
yes,  praise  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  your  life ;  let  your  hearts  and 
tongues  extol  and  glorify  continually  the  goodness  of  the  heavenly 
Father,  who  has  bestowed  this  precious  gift  of  Faith  on  you,  who 
did  nothing  and  could  do  nothing  to  merit  such  a  divine  favor.  To 
know  God ;  the  adorable  mysteries  of  His  Son  made  man,  the  riches 
of  the  glory  He  prepares  for  us,  this  is  the  science  of  the  Christian, — 
the  science  which  Faith  teaches.  Without  this  heavenly  science 
we  should  be  buried  in  misery  and  darkness,  the  melancholy  sport 
of  uncertain  opinions  and  deceitful  fancies  which  the  spirit  of  man 
conjures  up. 

May  God  preserve  us  from  falling  away  from  this  divine,  adorable 
Faith.  It  is  in  this  Faith,  0  my  God,  that  I  wish  to  live  and 
die ;  for  it  is  only  through  it  I  can  learn  to  do  thy  will.  May  Thy 
Grace,  0  Lord,  be  always  with  me,  that  I  may  never  cease  to  fulfill 
what  Thy  holy  religion  commands  ;  so  that  I  may  be  one  day  admitted 
to  the  happiness  of  seeing  Thee,  face  to  face,  such  as  Thou  art  in  Thy 
eternal  mansions,  where  Thou  wilt  fully  recompense  those  who  have 
known  Thee,  loved  Thee,  and  served  Thee  in  this  world  ! — AMEN. 


EXISTENCE    OF    GOD. 

SERMON  III. 

FIRST  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

EXISTENCE   OF  GOD. 


"I  believe  in  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth." — 
APOSTLES'  CREED. 

IT  is  necessary  to  believe  every  thing  that  God  has  said  and 
revealed  to  the  world,  all  the  truths  which  the  Lord  has  intrusted 
to  the  guardianship  of  his  Church ;  for  without  faith  it  is  impossible 
to  please  God ;  without  faith  no  one  can  be  saved.  How  ardently, 
then,  beloved  Christians,  do  I  desire  that  you  would  know  well  the 
truths  which  are  the  object  of  your  faith.  You  find  them,  for  the 
most  part,  contained  in  the  Apostles'  Creed,  which  is  composed  of 
twelve  articles,  the  first  of  which  is  thus  expressed:  "I  believe  in 
God,  the  Father  Almighty,  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth."  There 
are  so  many  things  contained  in  these  few  words,  that  I  can  not 
treat  all  of  them  in  one  instruction.  I  will,  therefore,  confine 
myself  to-day  to  the  explanation  of  these  words:  "I  believe  in 
God ;"  that  is  to  say,  my  Brethren,  what  I  wish  to  impress  upon 
your  minds,  is,  that  there  is  a  God,  that  there  is  but  one  God ;  and 
what  that  one  God  is : 

There  is  a  God :  this  is  the  first  truth  which  we  profess  to  believe 
when  we  recite  the  Creed,  a  truth  which  is  the  foundation  of  all  the 
other  truths  of  religion,  and  of  salvation ;  a  truth  which  nature  as 
well  as  religion  alike  inculcate ;  a  truth  better  known  than  all  others, 
and  which  is  as  clear  to  our  eyes  as  the  light  of  day.  Hence,  we 
always  regard  as  monsters,  rather  than  men,  t  that  small  number  of 
wretches  who  arrive  at  such  a  hight  of  impiety  that  they  dare  deny 
or  even  doubt  that  there  is  a  God.  If  they  have  the  hardihood  to 
say  so,  "it  is  only  in  their  heart,"  saith  the  prophet.  Indeed,  the 
corruption  of  their  hearts  makes  them  desire  that  there  were  no 
3 


26  SHORT    SERMONS  . 

God,  that  they  may  with  greater  ease  and  freedom  abandon  them- 
selves to  the  disorders  of  their  passions ;  but  their  intellect  never 
admits  such  an  absurdity,  and  always  convicts  them  of  their  lying 
blasphemies.  ' 

In  fact,  my  Brethren,  to  convince  us  of  the  Existence  of  a  God, 
it  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  enter  into  tedious  researches,  and 
have  recourse  to  laborious  studies ;  it  suffices  to  contemplate  our- 
selves attentively,  to  cast  a  glance  over  this  vast  earth,  on  the 
millions  of  creatures  that  inhabit  the  world.  Yes,  says  Isaias, 
"Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high;  consider  who  has  created  the  heavens, 
who  caused  the  army  of  stars  to  move  in  such  beautiful  order,  and 
who  calls  them  by  their  names."  Who,  then,  has  fixed  this  earth 
upon  its  foundation  ?  Who  has  constructed  the  spacious  firmament 
on  high, — that  wonderful  ceiling  dotted  all  over  with  stars,  as  so 
many  precious  stones?  Did  man  give  existence  to  himself ?  Did 
the  sun  and  moon  fix  themselves  in  the  firmament ?  "Do  you  know 
who  is  the  Father  of  the  rain,  or  who  begot  the  drops  of  dew  ?* 
Ah !  the  world  is  a  great  book,  which  speaks  to  us  only  of  God ; 
the  voice  of  the  Supreme  Being  resounds  from  one  end  of  the  uni- 
verse to  the  other,  and  says :  "I  am  the  Lord ;  that  make  all  things ; 
that  alone  stretch  out  the  heavens ;  that  establish  the  earth ;  and 
there  is  none  with  me."f 

It  is  God,  who  has  made  every  thing,  and  nothing  was  made 
without  Him.  Every  man  who  does  not  recognize  Thee,  and  who 
presumes  to  deny  Thy  existence,  0,  my  God,  is  blind,  is  an 
ungrateful  wretch,  is  a  monster  without  eyes,  without  ears,  without 
intellect,  and  without  heart.  Yes,  if  he  has  eyes  let  him  open  them, 
and  everywhere  he  will  see  evidences  of  Thy  wisdom,  O,  my  God, 
and  the  wonders  of  Thy  Omnipotence !  If  he  has  ears  to  hear, 
why  does  he  close  them  against  the  voice  of  every  creature  that 
proclaims  the  greatness  of  its  Creator?  Has  he  received  from 
heaven  the  gift  of  intelligence ;  he,  who,  more  stupid  than  beasts, 
disowns  Him  to  whom  he  is  indebted  for  every  thing  ?  And  where, 
-then,  is  his  heart,  since  he  is  insensible  to  the  ineffable  bounty  for  all 
the  blessings  which  he  constantly  receives  from  this  adorable  Provi- 
dence, that  confers  them  on  him  ? 

*  Job,  xxxviii.  t  Isaias,  xliv. 


EXISTENCE   OF   GOD.  27 

Yes,  my  Brethren,  there  is  a  God,  there  is  but  one  God,  and 
there  can  be  no  more  gods  than  one.  In  truth,  God  is  the  Being 
above  all  beings ;  the  Infinite  Being ;  the  perfect  Being.  That  per- 
fection can  not  be  divided;  infinity  appertains  to  but  one  Being 
alone.  Were  there  many  infinitely  perfect  beings,  none  of  them 
would  possess  perfection,  since  they  would  all  be  equal ;  none  of  them 
would  be  superior  to  the  others,  none  would  be  Sovereign  Master; 
and  we  can  with  reason  say,  if  there  were  many  gods,  there  would 
be  none,  for  a  plurality  of  gods  were  an  idle  fancy,  a  thing  that  exists 
not.  Says  the  prophet  of  God:  "Hear,  0  Israel,  the  Lord,  our 
God,  is  the  only  Lord.  I  am,  says  he,  the  first  and  the  last,  there 
is  no  God  besides  me."* 

There  is  but  one  God.     You  must  not  however  imagine,  my 
Brethren,  that  the  unity  of  God  is  opposed  to  the  adorable  mystery 
of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity.     It  is  true,  faith  teaches  us  to  acknowl- 
edge and  adore  three  Persons  in  the  Most  Blessed  Trinity,  three 
Persons  in  one  God ;  yet,  there  is  in  this  no  contradiction.     Indeed, 
we  do  not  say,  there  are  three  Gods  in  one  God ;  but  there  are  three 
Persons,   who  constitute  but  one  God.     In  the  Most  Blessed  Trinity 
there  are  not  three  divine  natures,  but  only  one  and  the  same  divine 
nature  for  the  three  divine  Persons.     Yes,  my  Brethren,  always 
bear  in  mind,  that  the  three  divine  Persons  of  the  Most  Blessed 
Trinity  have  but  one  and  the  same  divine  nature,  and  are  but  one 
and  the  same  God.     I  know  that  this  is  one  of  those  truths  which 
reason  of  itself  cannot  comprehend,  experience  teach,  nor  the  senses 
assist  us  to  discover ;  it  is  a  mystery  the  depth  of  which,  it  belongs 
to   God  alone  to  fathom.     "No   one  knoweth  the   Son,  but  the 
Father,  neither  doth  any  one  know  the  Father,  but  the  Son,  and  he 
to  whom  the  Son  will  reveal  him.f     But  what  ought  to  set  our 
minds  at  rest,  and  free  us  from  all  uneasiness,  is,  that  God  himself 
has  revealed  this  august  mystery,  and  His  divine  word  is  our  guar- 
anty for  this  profound  truth.     He  has  said:   "There  are  three  in 
heaven  who  give  testimony, — the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost, — and  these  three  are  one.J 

Bat  what  is  God?  The  day  will  come  when,  in  heaven,  we  shall 
know  God  and  see  His  infinite  perfections  in  the  clearest  light.     In 

*  Isaias,  xl  and  xliv.         f  St.  Matthew,  xi :  27.         $  St.  John,  v:  7. 


28  SHORT    SERMONS. 

this  life  we  behold  Him  only  through  a  glass  and  in  shadows.  Yet, 
however  imperfect  our  knowledge  may  be,  faith  and  reason  throw 
sufficient  light  around  us,  to  demonstrate  to  us  that  God  is  a  Spirit 
infinite  in  all  His  attributes ;  that  He  is  self-existent,  and  that  He 
is  from  eternity.  God  is  infinite,  therefore  He  wants  nothing ;  and 
there  is  in  Him  not  even  the  smallest  defect,  nor  the  slightest  im- 
perfection. He  is  perfect ;  there  is  in  Him  neither  sleep,  nor  hun- 
ger, nor  thirst,  nor  anger,  nor  sadness,  nor  suffering,  nor  death; 
none  of  these  imperfections  are  to  be  found  in  the  infinitely  perfect 
nature  of  God. 

God  is  from  all  eternity;  He  was  not  created  by  himself;  neither 
could  He  have  been  created  by  another.  If  God  created  himself, 
He  must  have  existed  before  He  created  himself,  which  is  a  palpa- 
ble absurdity.  If  God  was  created  by  another,  tell  me  by  whom 
this  other  was  himself  created  ?  How,  then,  does  God  exist  ?  The 
Almighty  himself  informs  us,  when  He  says  to  Moses:  "I  AM 
WHO  AM" — that  is  to  say,  I  am  the  necessary,  infinite,  eternal  Being, 
the  Source,  the  beginning  of  all  other  beings ;  Life,  and  even  Exist- 
ence itself. 

God  is  a  being  perfectly  simple ;  He  is  a  perfect  Spirit ;  He  has 
neither  body,  nor  figure,  nor  form.  He  does  not  come  under  our 
senses ;  He  can  neither  be  seen,  nor  touched.  If  the  picture  of  God 
the  Father  represents  Him  under  the  form  of  an  old  man,  it  is  to 
give  us  an  idea  of  His  adorable  antiquity,  and  because  He  showed 
himself  in  this  form  to  the  prophet  Daniel.  If  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures speaks  to  us  of  the  eyes,  the  feet,  and  the  hands  of  God,  it 
uses  such  language  only  to  accommodate  itself  to  our  weakness. 
These  are  no  more  than  figures  which  serve  to  make  us  understand 
the  perfections  and  attributes  of  God.  By  His  eyes  is  signified 
that  He  sees  all  things ;  by  His  hands  that  He  made  all  things ;  by 
His  arms  is  understood  His  supreme  power ;  and  we  express  as  far 
as  possible  His  dignity,  by  placing  all  creatures  at  His  feet. 

But  at  the  same  time,  the  word  of  God  warns  us  not  to  conceive 
a  false  idea  of  God,  by  supposing  Him  to  have  a  human  form, 
giving  Him  a  human  body  and  senses,  or  by  believing  that  He  is, 
as  it  were,  confined  within  the  vast  and  magnificent  palace  of  this 
world.  God  is  a  Spirit ;  and  therefore  He  desires  to  be  adored  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.  He  wishes  that  our  minds  should  be  constantly 


EXISTENCEOFGOD.  29 

raised  toward  Him,  and  that  our  hearts  should  be  penetrated  with 
His  love,  when  we  contemplate  and  meditate  upon  His  infinite  per- 
fections. He  wishes  that,  like  generous  children,  we  should  have 
for  Him  the  deepest  respect  and  the  most  perfect  submission  to  His 
ever  adorable  will.  He  wishes  that,  by  a  faithful  discharge  of  all 
the  duties  of  our  state,  we  may  merit  His  favor  and  His  love. 

There  is  a  God:  He  is  perfect,  He  is  infinite.  0  my  soul, 
bless  the  Lord,  and  may  all  that  is  within  me  praise  His  holy 
name !  Yes,  O  Lord,  I  am  the  work  of  Thy  hands,  and  my  soul 
and  my  body  shall  never  cease  to  publish  Thy  greatness  and  Thy 
goodness.  Alas !  can  it  be  possible  that  there  are  men  who  refuse 
to  recognize  Him,  by  whose  omnipotence  they  were  called  into  exist- 
ence !  Can  it  be,  that  there  are  others  who,  though  acknowledging 
that  there  is  a  God,  yet  live  as  if  they  knew  Him  not ;  do  not  love 
Him,  nor  serve  Him,  nor  wish  to  do  any  thing  to  please  Him. 

Let  us  not,  0  my  God !  be  amongst  the  number  of  those  ungrate- 
ful wretches ;  on  the  contrary,  let  us  bless  Thee  all  the  days  of  our 
lives ;  let  us  praise  and  glorify  Thee  on  earth,  which  is  Thy  foot- 
stool ;  that  we  may  merit  the  happiness  of  being  one  day  admitted 
to  praise,  and  bless,  and  love  Thee  forever  in  Heaven,  where  Thou 
hast  established  the  "Throne  of  Thy  Glory." — AMEN. 


30  SHORT    SERMONS. 


SERMON  IV. 

FIRST  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED— (CONTINUED.) 

OMNIPOTENCE  OF  GOD. 


"I  believe  in  God,  the  Father  Almighty." — APOSTLES'  CREED. 

THERE  is  a  God,  there  can  loe  but  one,  He  is  self-existent,  He  exists 
from  all  eternity,  He  is  the  principle  and  author  of  all  things  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.  God  is  a  Spirit  infinitely  pure,  has  neither 
body  nor  figure,  and  he  possesses  every  perfection  in  an  infinite  de- 
gree. Behold,  my  Brethren,  what  formed  the  subject  of  our  last 
instruction.  I  most  ardently  desire  that  you  would  every  day  make 
some  progress  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  our  God,  for  the  more 
you  know  Him,  the  more  will  you  love  Him,  and  the  better  will 
you  serve  Him.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  now  proceed  to  explain 
some  of  the  infinite  and  unspeakable  perfections  of  our  Creator. 
To-day  I  will  speak  to  you  of  His  Omnipotence,  and  I  will  show 
you  how  useful  it  is  often  times  to  meditate  on  this  wonderful  per- 
fection. 

God  is  Omnipotent,  that  is  to  say,  He  can,  in  one  single  instant 
and  without  labor,  do  whatsoever  he  pleases.  This  is  a  truth  which 
faith  does  not  permit  us  to  doubt,  and  of  which  we  can  not  help 
being  thoroughly  convinced,  when  we  survey  the  vast  and  magnifi- 
cent expanse  of  creation,  and  contemplate  the  harmonious  order 
which  reigns  throughout  all  nature. 

Who  indeed  among  you  can  measure,  with  his  sight,  the  im- 
mense extent  of  the  canopy  of  heaven  ;  can  consider  the  beauty  of 
the  sun,  and  of  the  millions  of  stars  which  adorn  the  firmament ; 
can  fix  his  attention  on  the  numberless  beautiful  animals,  so  varied 
in  their  different  kinds  and  species,  which  move  on  the  earth,  fly  in 
the  air,  or  swim  in  the  waters ;  can  even  for  an  instant  fix  his  atten- 


OMNIPOTENCE     OF     GOD.  31 

tion  on  the  astonishing  variety  of  trees,  of  flowers,  and  of  fruits 
which  cover  and  embellish  the  surface  of  the  earth ;  which  of  you, 
I  say,  can  behold  this  magnificent  spectacle  without  feeling  himself 
constantly  impelled  to  exclaim,  Oh  !  boundless  grandeur  !  Oh  !  infi- 
nite Omnipotence  of  my  God  !  Yes,  the  Lord  our  God  is  all -powerful: 
The  Sacred  Scriptures,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  dictated  to  man,  not 
only  teach  us  that  it  is  the  hand  of  God  which  fashioned  all  we  see, — 
every  thing  that  exists, — all  the  wonders  which  challenge  our  admi- 
ration, but  even  that  it  has  created  them  all,  has  made  them  all  out 
of  nothing. 

The  human  mind  is  no  doubt,  occasionally,  capable  of  great 
things.  Well ;  now  collect  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe  the 
ablest  minds,  men  endowed  with  the  highest  degree  of  intelligence ; 
and  certainly  many  such  might  be  found.  Then,  when  you  have 
them  all  assembled,  ask  them  to  unite  their  efforts  and  work  together, 
but  without  materials,  without  tools ;  by  the  sole  power  of  their 
minds  and  wills,  and  what  will  they  produce  ?  A  world  ?  No ; 
not  even  a  grain  of  wheat,  not  the  smallest  atom  of  straw.  What  ? 
Do  you  think  they  could  construct  a  new  canopy  for  the  heavens  ? 
No,  not  even  a  hut.  They  would  labor  for  millions  of  years,  and 
for  millions  of  ages,  and  yet  never  produce  one.  The  power  of  the 
Creator,  is  then  infinite,  for  it  needed  not  matter  and  instruments 
to  construct  this  beautiful  world.  Without  trouble  and  without 
labor  He  has  created  heaven  and  earth ;  God  wills,  He  spoke,  and 
the  universe  sprang  from  the  abyss  of  nothingness.  "I  am  the 
Lord,"  He  says,  "that  made  all  things,  that  alone  stretch  out  the 
heavens,  that  establish  the  earth,  and  there  is  none  with  me.*  Yes, 
my  Brethren,  to  execute  the  decrees  of  His  wisdom,  to  realize  the 
eternal  plans  of  His  infinite  intelligence,  God  requires  neither  mat- 
ter, nor  instruments,  nor  aid,  nor  help  from  any  one.  He  speaks, 
and  on  the  instant  millions  of  creatures  spring  into  life ;  He  has 
but  to  will  it,  and  that  very  instant  they  would  fall  back  into  the 
nothingness  from  which  His  voice  had  called  them.  He  created  all 
things  with  equal  ease,  and  it  costs  Him  no  more  to  produce  a  world 
than  to  form  the  smallest  seed, — the  tiniest  insect.  Without  trouble 
and  without  labor,  He  has  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth ;  without 

*  Isaias,  xliv  :  24. 


62  S  II  O  R  T   S  E  R  M  O  N  8  . 

trouble  and  without  labor,  He  preserves  the  existence  He  has  given 
them,  and  maintains  the  wonderful  order  in  which  He  has  estab- 
lished them ;  without  trouble  and  without  labor,  His  hand  peopled 
the  world  with  an  immense  variety  of  sentient,  animated  beings  ;  a 
word  was  sufficient  for  Him.  By  a  single  word,  all  these  animated 
beings  are  multiplied  and  perpetuated  on  the  earth.  Another  word 
issues  from  His  divine  mouth,  and,  faithful  to  the  command  of  the 
Creator,  the  sun  advances,  shining  in  the  heavens,  the  moon  begins 
to  shed  her  mild  effulgence,  and  the  stars  bedeck  the  firmament ;  a 
word,  and  not  one  of  these  stars  ever  forget  the  command,  but  will 
please  God ;  they  will  continue  to  move  in  the  path  which  His  divine 
hand  has  marked  out  for  them. 

It  is  therefore  true  that  God  is  Omnipotent, — His  power  is  infi- 
nite,— knowing  no  limits  ;  He  can  do  whatsoever  he  wills  ! 

God  is  Omnipotent !  0  !  how  consoling  a  truth  for  the  suffer- 
ing, afflicted,  disconsolate  heart  of  man !  God,  he  can  say,  is  all- 
powerful,  He  can  do  whatsoever  He  wills,  and  nothing  is  able  to 
resist  the  strength  of  His  arm ;  it  is  then  true  that  He  can  cure  me  of 
all  my  ills  ;  if  I  am  sick,  He  can  heal  me ;  He  can  extricate  me  from 
the  miseries  and  oppressive  sorrows  beneath  which  I  groan ;  He 
can  protect  me  against  the  repeated  assaults  of  my  enemies ;  He 
can  assist  me  with  His  power,  and  cast  around  me  the  shield  of  His 
divine  protection  in  the  daily  contest  which  I  have  to  wage  against 
the  world,  the  devil,  and  the  flesh ;  He  can,  in  fine,  give  me  the 
victory  and  confirm  me  in  the  pathway  of  virtue  and  of  piety.  But 
where  are  the  proofs  of  this  consoling  truth  ?  Open  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  and  they  are  full  of  striking  examples  more  than  suffi- 
cient to  banish  every  doubt  from  your  minds.  Who  was  it  that 
rescued  Joseph  from  the  dreary  and  shameful  prison,  wherein  he  had 
so  long  groaned  ?  Who  broke  asunder  his  fetters  and  elevated  him 
to  the  position  of  chief  minister  to  the  powerful  king  of  Egypt? 
It  was  God.  Every  kind  of  knisfortune  was  heaped  on  the  head  of 
.lob  ;  deprived  of  his  children  and  his  wealth,  plunged  into  the  most 
frightful  desolation,  his  body  covered  all  over  with  a  loathsome,  con- 
suming disease.  Who  came  to  the  assistance  of  this  holy  man,  and 
restored  him  to  health  and  to  redoubled  prosperity  ?  It  was  God. 
An  impious  king  usurps  the  rights  of  God,  and,  in  his  folly,  com- 
mands the  people  to  adore  him.  Threo  young  men  refuse  to  bend 


OMNIPOTENCE     OF     GOD.  33 

the  knee  before  his  statue,  and  they  are  cast  into  a  burning  furnace ; 
but  behold,  they  walk  uninjured  in  the  midst  of  the  devouring 
flames.  Who  was  it  that  thus  miraculously  preserved  their  lives 
and  deprived  the  fire  of  its  power  to  harm  them  ?  It  was  God, — 
the  Omnipotent  God.  Famine  spreads  desolation  over  the  land 
of  Israel.  The  prophet  Eliseus,  flying  from  the  enemies  of  the 
Lord,  retires  into  the  desert,  there  to  die  of  hunger.  .  But  he  dies 
not ;  for  behold,  the  Lord  commands  the  birds  of  the  air  to  provide  for 
His  servant,  and  every  day  they  carry  to  him  food  to  support  his  life. 
Two  infamous  old  men  drag  the  chaste  Susannah  before  the  judges 
of  Israel,  and  accuse  her  of  crime.  Sentence  of  death  is  pronounced 
against  her;  but  Susannah  dies  not;  for  the  Lord,  the  God  of  justice, 
enlightens  the  mind  of  the  youthful  Daniel ;  the  innocence  of  the 
chaste  virgin  is  recognized,  and  the  sentence  which  threatened  her 
life  falls  on  the  heads  of  her  guilty  accusers. 

Behold  what  the  Lord  has  accomplished,  and  the  wonders  wrought 
by  Him,  to  whom  nothing  is  impossible,  and  who  can  do  whatso- 
ever He  willeth. 

God  is  all-powerful !  But  if  this  truth  abounds  in  consolation 
for  the  righteous  and  the  just,  it  is  no  less  terrible  and  afflicting  to 
the  wicked  and  impenitent  sinner.  For  if  God  can  do  whatsoever 
He  wills,  if  all  things  are  possible  to  Him,  He  can  punish  the 
wicked  in  a  terrible  manner ;  if  He  spare  him,  it  is  only  because 
His  mercy  stays  the  arm  of  His  justice.  And  what  reason  has  not 
the  sinner  to  tremble  ?  God  beholds  him  advancing  in  the  paths  of 
iniquity,  He  sees  him  filling  up  the  measure  of  his  guilt,  and  to- 
morrow, perhaps,  He  will  call  him  before  His  awful  tribunal,  to 
condemn  him  to  everlasting  punishment. 

Yes,  sinners,  God  can  and  He  has  punished  sin,  and  continues  to 
do  so  every  day.  Do  you  doubt  it  ?  The  Sacred  Scriptures  will 
inform  you  how  severely  God  has  often  dealt  with  the  sinner.  Na- 
dab  and  Abiu,  the  sons  of  Aaron,  contrary  to  the  express  prohibition 
of  God,  dared  to  set  profane  fire  on  the  altar,  and  burn  their  incense 
upon  it.  God  condemns  them,  and  that  very  instant  flames  issue 
from  the  earth  and  destroy  them.  Forty-two  youths  follow  and 
mock  the  prophet  Eliseus,  and  at  the  command  of  God  two  bears 
from  the  depths  of  the  forest  rush  on  these  forty-two  wicked  young 
men,  and  devour  them.  Heliodorus,  possessed  of  all  the  power  of 


34  SHORTSERMONS. 

an  earthly  monarch,  enters  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  to  rob  it  of  its 
treasure  and  desecrate  the  holy  places  of  God;  but  the  King  of 
heaven  gives  the  word,  and  immediately  two  angels  appear,  and 
strike  Heliodorus  so  severely  that  he  is  carried  away  half  dead. 

You  see,  my  Brethren,  how  true  it  is  that  the  Omnipotent  hand 
of  God  can  punish  us  even  at  the  very  moment  we  are  abandoning 
ourselves  to  sin.  Let  us,  therefore,  be  wise  and  prudent,  and  when 
temptation  presents  itself  to  draw  us  from  the  path  of  rectitude,  let 
us  raise  our  thoughts  to  heaven  and  call  to  mind  the  Omnipotent 
power  of  God,  who  can,  the  very  instant  we  consent  to  the  sin, 
most  terribly  punish  us  for  all  eternity.  Beyond  doubt,  this  recollec- 
tion of  the  judgment  of  an  Omnipotent  God  will  make  us  fear  and 
avoid  committing  the  sin. 

And  when  misfortune  visits  our  home,  when  sorrow  enters  our 
hearts,  and  affliction  presses  heavily  upon  us,  Oh !  let  us  not  be 
discouraged,  but  let  us  remember  that  God  is  Omnipotent;  that  He 
can  aid  us,  comfort  us,  and  restore  to  our  hearts  and  our  homes  the 
peace  and  the  happiness  we  had  lost.  May  this  salutary  thought 
never  depart  from  our  hearts ;  so  shall  we  be  more  patient,  more  re- 
signed, and  more  submissive  to  the  holy  will  of  God ;  who  tries  us,  it 
is  true,  but  only  with  the  view  that  when  we  shall  have  passed 
through  this  vale  of  tears,  having  borne  our  cross  with  patience  in 
this  life,  we  may  at  length  arrive  at  that  celestial  home,  where  our 
Omnipotent  God  recompenses  beyond  all  conception,  the  patience 
and  the  virtues  of  His  saints. — AMEN. 


GOD   IS    EVERYWHERE,    ETC.  35 


SERMON  Y- 

FIKST  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED— (CONTINUED.) 
GOD  IS  EVEEYWHEEE;  GOD  KNOWS  ALL  THINGS. 


"  I  set  the  Lord  always  in  my  sight,  for  He  is  at  my  right  hand,  that  I  be  not 
moved." — PSALMS,  xv. 

GOD  is  all-powerful.  Let  us,  therefore,  always  fear  offending  the 
Lord,  for  the  very  moment  we  become  guilty,  he  can  punish  us. 
The  Holy  Ghost  has  said  it  is  an  awful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  living  God.  God  is  omnipotent ;  why  then  should  we  be 
discouraged  when  calamities  and  misfortunes  weigh  heavily  upon  us  ? 
No,  the  Christian  should  never  give  way  to  despair,  how  heavy 
soever  be  the  cross  he  has  to  carry,  how  excruciating  soever  be  the 
pains  he  has  to  endure.  Let  us  remember  that  our  heavenly  Father 
is  omnipotent,  that  He  watches  over  us,  and  His  divine  word  is 
pledged  that  they  who  hope  in  Him,  will  not  be  confounded  forever. 
Yes,  we  ought  to  have  confidence  in  the  all-powerful  protection  of 
our  God,  for  it  was  not  in  mockery,  it  was  not  to  deceive  us,  that 
He  invited  us  all  to  come  to  Him,  saying:  "Come  to  me  all  ye 
who  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  refresh  you." 

The  omnipotence  of  God,  the  salutary  influence  which  the  thought 
of  this  divine  perfection  should  have  on  our  conduct,  such  was  the 
subject  of  our  last  instruction.  Let  us  advance  in  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord,  and  to-day  let  us  speak  of  His  immensity,  and  of  His 
infinite  Omniscience. 

"O  Israel,"  exclaims  a  prophet,  "  how  vast  is  the  habitation  of 
God,  how  great  are  His  possessions !  He  is  great,  He  has  no  limits, 
He  is  sublime,  He  is  immense."  To  make  us  sensible  of  His  im- 
mensity, the  Lord  God  has  himself  told  us,  by  the  mouth  of  His 
prophets,  that  He  is  the  Most  High  God,  that  He  fills  the  heavens 


36  S  II  GET    SERMONS. 

and  the  earth,  that  the  heavens  and  the  earth  can  not  contain  Him ; 
that  He  is  higher  than  the  heavens  and  deeper  than  the  abyss ;  that 
the  place  of  His  habitation  is  vast  and  boundless.  David,  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  God,  cries  out  in  a  transport  of  admiration: 
"  Whither  shall  I  go  from  Thy  spirit?  or  whither  shall  I  flee  from 
Thy  face  ?  If  I  ascend  into  heaven,  thou  art  there ;  if  I  descend 
into  hell,  thou  art  present.  If  I  take  my  wings  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  also 
shall  Thy  hand  lead  me,  and  Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me."* 

But  these  expressions,  however  sublime  they  may  be,  are  neverthe- 
less mere  human  language,  in  which  God  condescends  to  address 
us,  that  He  may  not  overwhelm  our  weakness ;  for  there  is  nothing 
in  us  nor  around  us  which  can  exactly  represent  to  us  the  immensity 
of  God,  such  as  it  really  is ;  therefore,  do  not  figure  to  yourselves, 
the  Lord  God  as  a  great  body,  infinitely  extended  and  covering  the 
vast  surface  of  the  universe.  No ;  He  existed  before  the  world, 
which  He  himself  has  formed,  and  before  He  had  created  it,  there 
was  neither  place  nor  space  which  could  limit  the  infinite  Being. 
God  could  have  created  other  worlds  a  thousand  times  more  vast 
than  this ;  and  had  He  done  so,  He  would  still  be  everywhere  pre- 
sent in  them,  as  well  as  in  our  own.  This  world  does  not  confine 
His  infinite  being ;  God  is  not  then  inclosed  within  the  limits  of 
space ;  but  we  and  the  entire  world  exist  in  God.  We  are  in  the 
immensity  of  God,  like  the  fish  in  the  water,  or  the  bird  in  the  air, 
as  St.  Augustine  tells  us,  encircled  as  it  were,  by  His  divine  Presence, 
for  He  fills  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  Go,  then,  where  you  will, 
traverse  the  open  plain,  or  remain  shut  up  in  your  house,  perform 
your  actions  in  the  broad  daylight,  or  bury  yourselves  in  the  thickest 
shades  of  darkness ;  God  is  there ;  He  sees  you ;  nothing  escapes  his 
all-seeing  eye,  and  He  Himself  says  to  you:  "What,  then,  are  your 
thoughts  ?  Am  I,  think  ye,  a  God  at  hand,  and  not  a  God  afar 
off?  Shall  a  man  be  hid  in  secret  places,  and  I  not  see  him."f 
Ah !  says  the  apostle,  "there  is  no  creature  invisible  to  the  eyes  of 
God,  before  whom  all  things  are  laid  open ;  He  sees  all  things,  He 
knows  all  things,  and  His  knowledge  has  no  bounds.'* 

God  knows  not  only  the  present,  but  the  past  and  the  future. 

*  Psalms,  cxxxviii.  f  Jeremias,  xxiii ;  23. 


G  O  D    I  S    E  V  E  R  Y  W  II  E  R  E,    E  T  0  .  37 

He  knows  not  only  what  is  outward,  what  appears  to  the  eyes,  but 
what  passes  even  in  the  most  secret  and  most  intimate  recesses  of 
our  hearts ;  He  hears  our  words,  He  sees  our  actions,  and  reads  in 
their  inmost  depths  the  secrets  of  our  souls.  He  knows  what  are 
our  thoughts,  and  what  desires  occupy  our  minds.  Yes,  says  He, 
by  the  mouth  of  his  prophet  Ezechiel:  "I  know  the  thoughts  of 
your  hearts."*  He  knows  what  you  will  do  to-day;  the  future  is 
present  to  Him,  and  nothing  is  hidden  from  Him.  He  penetrated 
our  hearts,  He  foresaw  what  would  be  our  ways,  and  He  understood 
all  our  words  a  long  time  before  they  were  uttered. 

Reflect,  now,  my  Brethren,  on  this ;  God  is  Everywhere,  and  He 
knows  all  things ;  to  Him  there  is  no  secret,  no  mystery.  He  is 
Everywhere,  He  is,  then,  near  us,  He  is  in  us;  He  knows,  He  hears,  He 
sees  every  thing  we  do,  every  thing  we  say,  every  thing  we  think. 
How  great,  then,  must  be  our  audacity  and  rashness  when  we  dare, 
under  the  very  eyes  of  God,  to  harbor  and  foster  so  many  sinful 
thoughts,  to  form  so  many  criminal  desires,  to  utter  so  many  guilty 
words,  and  commit  so  many  culpable  actions  !  Would  you  dare  do 
this  sinful  and  shameful  act  in  the  presence  of  a  man  whom  you 
respect  ?  Would  you  dare,  in  his  presence,  give  utterance  to  that 
blasphemous  or  obscene  word  ?  Where  is  the  servant  who  would 
presume,  under  the  very  eyes  of  his  master,  to  violate  his  orders 
and  do  what  he  had  forbidden?  Where  is  the  man  who  would 
insult  and  outrage  one,  who,  in  an  instant,  could  strike  him  dead  ? 

And  yet,  my  Brethren,  we  fear  not  to  sully  our  souls  with  the 
guilt  of  the  most  shameful  crimes  in  the  very  presence  of  God,  who 
will  not  only  exact  from  us  a  most  rigid  account  of  all  our  conduct, 
but  who  can  even  plunge  us  into  eternal  torments  the  very  instant 
we  become  guilty  in  his  sight  ?  Is  not  this  conduct,  on  our  part, 
to  say  the  least  of  it,  unutterably  rash  and  inconceivably  wicked  ? 
In  acting  thus,  do  we  not  declare  that  we  have  no  respect  whatever 
for  the  divine  Presence  ?  It  is  not  the  same  as  if  we  said  we  no 
longer  believe  that  God  is  Everywhere,  that  He  sees  all  things, 
hears  all  things,  and  knows  all  things?  In  truth,  my  Brethren, 
were  men  thoroughly  convinced  that  God  is  Everywhere,  that  they 
can  not  hide  themselves  from  His  sight,  they  never  would  be  seen 

*  Ezechiel,  xi :  5. 


38  SHORT   SERMONS. 

seeking  solitude  and  darkness  to  give  themselves  Tip  to  vice,  and 
burden  their  souls  with  the  most  criminal  actions ;  they  never  would 
be  seen  waiting  with  such  impatience  for  the  night,  to  abandon 
themselves  to  the  most  shameful  disorders.  Unfortunate  man !  do 
you  not  know  that  the  eyes  of  God  are  "more  luminous  than  the 
sun?"  You  may  withdraw  yourself  from  the  sight  of  man,  but 
you  can  not  escape  the  all-seeing  eye  of  God ;  wheresoever  you  go 
that  eye  is  fixed  upon  you, — everywhere  your  sovereign  Judge  sees 
your  bad  actions,  hears  your  improper  conversations,  sees  your  per- 
verse thoughts,  your  detestable  projects;  and  the  day  will  come 
when  He  will  visit  you  with  an  awful  retribution.  In  vain  does 
the  murderer,  like  Cain,  seek  to  hide  his  crime ;  in  vain  does  the 
unjust  man,  like  Achab,  seek  excuses  to  palliate  his  injustice ;  in 
vain  does  the  hypocrite,  like  the  proud  Pharisee,  whilst  deceiving 
men,  wish  to  trifle  with  God ;  in  vain  does  the  luxurious  man,  like 
the  wretched  accusers  of  Susanna,  cast  down  his  eyes,  that  they 
may  not  behold  the  heavens.  Remember,  sinners,  that  there  is  a 
God  who  sees  you,  and  a  day  will  come  when  He  will  render  to 
every  one  of  you  according  to  your  works  ;  when  they  who  have 
surpassed  all  others  in  crime,  will  likewise  surpass  all  others  in 
punishment. 

Oh !  how  terrifying  to  the  sinner  is  the  remembrance  of  the  divine 
presence,  but  how  consoling  and  encouraging  to  the  good?  Can 
there,  indeed,  be  any  thing  better  calculated  to  inspire  us,  my  Breth- 
ren, with  a  noble  courage  and  an  admirable  patience  in  all  our  cares 
and  sorrows  ?  Can  there  be  any  thing  better  fitted  to  fill  us  with 
heroic  bravery  in  the  contest  we  have  to  maintain  against  the 
enemies  of  our  salvation  ?  What  more  suited  to  strengthen  us  in 
our  good  resolutions,  to  impart  to  us  perseverance  in  the  exercise 
of  virtue,  and  in  the  practice  of  good  works,  than  this  consoling 
thought,  God  is  near  me ;  He  knows  what  I  need,  He  understands  my 
wants ;  my  sorrows  and  my  crosses  are  manifest  to  Him.  He  sees  the 
good  works  I  do  to  please  Him,  He  witnesses  the  inward  struggle  I 
have  to  sustain  against  my  passions  and  evil  inclinations ;  the  sighs  I 
heave  forth  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  are  not  hidden  from  His 
sight.  0  !  yes,  He  will  come  to  my  assistance,  and  He  will  reward 
me.  If  I  suffer  with  Him,  I  will  be  glorified  with  Him  in  heaven, 
where  there  are  no  more  dangers,  nor  sorrows,  nor  vexations,  nor 


GOODNESS     OF     GOD.  39 

disappointments,  nor  tears,  because  all  these  things  shall  have 
passed  away,  but  where  there  are  unutterable  delights  and  never 
ending  happiness.  My  Brethren,  let  us  never  forget  the  divine  Pres- 
ence after  the  example  of  the  prophet,  who  had  God  always  before 
his  eyes.  The  Almighty  has  himself  imposed  this  practice  as  a 
law  upon  us.  "Walk  before  me,"  He  says,  "and  be  ye  perfect." 
Yes,  my  Brethren,  walk  before  the  Lord ;  Here  is  the  means  of 
strengthening  yourselves,  and  of  advancing  in  the  paths  of  virtue 
and  of  piety.  Man  ceased  to  keep  God  before  his  eyes,  and  all  his 
ways  became  wicked,  and  filled  with  iniquity.  Jerusalem  fell  into 
crime,  because  she  had  forgotten  her  God.  Forgetfulness  of  the 
divine  Presence  is  the  sure  road  to  eternal  ruin,  while  the  remem- 
brance of  it  restrains  man  within  the  bounds  of  duty,  and  empowers 
him  to  bring  forth  fruits  worthy  of  salvation,  precious  fruits,  in  re- 
compense of  which  the  Lord  promises  and  grants  peace  of  heart  in 
this  world,  and  boundless  happiness  in  the  world  to  come. — AMEN. 


SERMON  VI- 

FIKST  AKTICLE  OF  THE  CKEED.— (CONTINUED.) 
GOODNESS   OF  GOD. 


"  Give  praise  to  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good :  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever. — 
PSALMS,  cxvii:  1. 

THE  Lord  God  is  an  infinite  Spirit  who  fills  heaven  and  earth,  and 
whom  heaven  and  earth  can  not  contain.  He  is  everywhere.  By 
His  essence,  He  is  the  infinite  Being ;  by  His  presence,  He  is  whole 
and  entire  in  each  place,  as  perfectly  as  He  is  in  the  entire  universe ; 
by  His  power,  He  acts  everywhere.  God  sees  all  things, — God 
knows  all  things.  He  knows  our  thoughts,  He  sees  our  actions, 
He  hears  our  words.  The  recollection  of  these  divine  perfections 
is  well  calculated  to  penetrate  our  hearts  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 


40  S  II  O  B  T    S  K  B  M  O  N  S  . 

and  restrain  us  from  vice  and  sin.  For,  how  can  we  dare  commit 
sin  when  we  know  that  God  is  everywhere,  and  unceasingly  crying 
out  to  the  sinner  that  his  most  hidden  crimes  are  seen  ?  On  the 
other  hand,  the  remembrance  of  these  divine  perfections,  is  admira- 
bly suited  to  inspire  us  with  a  noble  courage  in  the  practice  of 
virtue.  For  how  powerfully  must  we  not  feel  impelled  to  be  faith- 
ful to  the  law  of  God,  and  how  is  it  possible  we  could  recede  on 
the  pathway  of  virtue,  while  calling  to  mind  that  we  are  under  the 
eyes  of  our  sovereign  Master,  who  takes  delight  in  encouraging 
His  forgotten  and  despised  servants,  by  assuring  them  that  their 
virtues  have  a  witness  ?  But  you  will  be  still  more  firmly  attached 
to  the  service  of  the  Lord  your  God,  when  you  become  better 
acquainted  with  the  most  endearing  of  His  perfections,  His  infinite 
Goodness,  of  which  I  intend  to  speak  to  you  on  this  occasion. 

"Praise  the  Lord,  because  He  is  good,  for  He  is  eternally  good," 
says  the  royal  prophet.  Wheresoever  you  cast  your  eyes,  you  will 
meet  proofs  of  the  infinite  Goodness  of  God, — everywhere  you  may 
see  and  taste  how  good  and  sweet  the  Lord  is.*  On  every  side  the 
voice  of  all  nature  may  be  heard,  exclaiming :  "He  is  a  God,  author 
of  all  good ;  He  is  good  and  merciful ;  the  Lord  is  sweet  to  all  His 
creatures,  and  His  mercy  and  His  Goodness  are  spread  over  all 
His  works. "\  It  was  the  boundless  Goodness  of  our  God,  which 
from  nothing  created  the  world  and  the  innumerable  creatures  that 
inhabit  it.  It  is  this  boundless  Goodness  of  God  which  fills  Him 
with  the  sincere  desire  of  making  happy  all  His  creatures,  from  the 
highest  angel  of  heaven,  to  the  meanest  insect  that  crawls  along  the 
earth.  "All  expect  of  Thee  that  Thou  give  them  food  in  season: 
What  Thou  givest  them,  they  shall  gather  up ;  when  Thou  openest 
Thy  hand,  they  shall  be  filled  with  good."J; 

But  to  us,  especially,  does  it  belong  to  praise  with  all  our  heart 
the  Lord  our  God,  and  to  glorify  eternally  His  adorable  name:§ 
for  it  is  on  us  that  the  Lord  has  made  flow  the  torrent  of  His  graces, 
of  His  goodness,  and  of  His  love.  My  Christian  Friends,  can  you 
count  the  graces,  the  favors,  and  the  benefits  which  God  bestows  upon 
you  every  day  and  every  hour  of  the  day  ?  Oh  !  every  moment  of  our 
lives  is  an  evidence  of  the  Goodness  of  God  toward  us !  It  is  God 


*  Psalms,  xxxiii:  !).     f  Psalms,  cxliv.     $  Psalms,  ciii:,  27,  28.    §  Psalms,  Ixxxv. 


GOODNESSOFGOD.  4:1 

who  is  the  principle  and  the  source  of  all  that  we  are  and  of  all  that 
we  possess.  To  whom  are  you  indebted  for  your  existence,  if  not 
to  the  infinite  bounty  of  God,  who  gave  you  being,  in  preference  to 
so  many  others  whom  He  might  have  created  ?  To  whom  do  you 
owe  your  soul,  with  its  faculty  of  reason,  by  which  you  are  elevated 
above  all  other  creatures,  if  not  to  the  infinite  Goodness  of  God  ? 
Truly,  God  could  have  left  you  in  the  abyss  of  nothingness  and  not 
have  created  you.  You  did  nothing  and  could  not  have  done  any 
thing  to  deserve  the  privilege  of  creation ;  but  the  bounty  of  God 
has  called  you,  has  created  you,  and  raised  you  up  to  the  highest 
point  of  glory.  He  has  made  you  the  most  excellent,  the  most 
noble,  the  most  exalted  of  His  creatures  in  this  visible  world.  He 
has  given  you  a  body  erect,  and  of  wonderful  structure ;  He  has 
formed  your  soul  after  the  most  perfect  of  all  models;  "let  us 
make  man  to  our  own  image  and  likeness,"  said  the  Lord, — and 
you  were  accordingly  made  to  the  image  and  likeness  of  God ;  and 
He  gave  you  an  immortal  soul,  a  sublime  reason,  and  a  will  free 
and  powerful.  Yes !  the  hand  of  God  is  open,  and  you  have  been 
loaded  with  the  favors  and  the  treasures  of  His  bounty ! 

But  did  the  bounty  of  God  cease  when  He  had  bestowed  upon 
you  this  creation,  so  exalted,  so  privileged  ?  No ;  the  hand  that 
formed  you  still  continues  to  lead,  feed,  and  support  you ;  it  dis- 
poses all  things  with  a  view  to  provide  for  your  wants  in  this  world. 
The  sun,  the  moon,  the  millions  of  stars  that  shine  in  the  heavens, 
all  animate  and  inanimate  beings  which  fill  the  earth,  the  air,  the 
water,  for  what  purpose  have  they  been  created?  For  you,  for 
your  use,  to  serve  and  please  you !  For  you  the  grain  grows  in  the 
fields ;  for  you  the  grape  ripens  on  the  hill-side ;  for  you  the  trees 
bend  down  with  fruits;  for  you  the  flowers  exhale  their  sweet 
fragrance ;  for  you  the  whole  earth  is  covered  with  overflowing 
riches.  To  provide  you  with  raiment,  to  assist  you  in  your 
labors  or  contribute  to  your  support,  God  speaks,  and  the  earth 
is  inhabited  with  wild  and  domestic  animals.  It  is  the  bounty  of 
God  which  commands  the  strong  horse  to  obey  the  voice  even  of  a 
child.  It  is  God  who  holds  the  proud,  threatening  head  of  the  ox 
submissive  to  the  yoke  and  the  plough. 

But,  my  Brethren,  does  the  Lord  bestow  these  benefits,  these 
graces  and  favors  only  on  the  wise,  the  virtuous,  and  the  pious  ? 
4 


42  SHORT    SERMONS. 

No ;  our  heavenly  Father  permits  even  the  .most  wicked  of  men  to 
drink  at  the  inexhaustible  source  of  His  bounty;  even  such  as 
trample  under  foot  the  precepts  of  so  good  a  God,  and  make  it  a  point 
every  moment  of  their  lives  to  offend  Him.  It  is  because  this  Good- 
ness becomes  mercy  and  wills  not  the  death  of  the  sinner,  but  that 
he  be  converted  and  live.  Therefore  does  it  lavish  on  the  good  and 
the  bad  alike  the  blessings  of  health  and  strength.  Yes,  it  is  the 
divine  Goodness  assuming  the  visible  character  of  mercy,  that 
causes  the  sun  to  shed  his  light  and  fructifying  heat  alike  on  the  just 
and  the  unjust.  It  is  this  merciful  Goodness  that  spreads  over  the 
fields  of  the  pious  Christian  the  fertilizing  dews  of  heaven,  and  at 
the  same  time  does  not  suffer  the  lands  of  the  impious  and  wicked  to 
be  deprived  of  them.  "Let  us,  then,  praise  and  glorify  the  Lord, 
because  He  is  good.  Let  us  praise  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good  !"  Such 
is  the  lively  sense  of  gratitude  with  which  you  should  be  penetrated 
when  you  call  to  mind  the  immense  blessings  God  has  heaped  upon 
you.  Yet,  my  Brethren,  all  I  have  hitherto  said  gives  but  a  faint 
idea  of  the  Goodness  of  God  in  our  regard.  Would  you  know 
where  the  bounty  of  God  appears  in  its  full  extent  ?  0  you  have 
received  the  true  faith,  my  Brethren, — and  I  think  I  hear  you 
answer  me  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle :  "We  have  seen  the  Good- 
ness of  God  our  Saviour,  and  His  love  for  men ;  He  has  saved  us 
by  His  mercy,  by  the  baptism  of  regeneration ;  in  order,  that  hav- 
ing been  justified  by  his  grace,  we  may  hope  for  the  inheritance  of 
eternal  life." 

The  Son  of  God  loved  us  with  a  superabounding  love ;  He  came 
down  from  heaven  and  died  for  us !  Where  is  the  king,  who,  to 
rescue  from  a  justly  merited  death,  a  criminal,  would  order  his  own 
son — his  only  son — to  clothe  himself  with  the  garments  of  a  male- 
factor, and  deliver  himself  up  to  the  executioner,  to  suffer  at  his 
hands  the  most  ignominous  death  ?  Has  the  world  ever  furnished 
such  an  example  ?  No  earthly  father  ever  exhibited  such  gener- 
osity ;  no :  but  God  loves  us,  His  Goodness  is  infinite ;  and  so  much 
has  He  loved  us  that  He  delivered  up  for  us  His  Son,  His  only  Son 
in  whom  He  was  well  pleased.  He  invested  him  with  the  garments 
of  a  sinner  by  clothing  him  with  our  nature ;  He  willed  that  He 
should  become  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  the  reproach  of  the  people,  and 
that  He  should  die  on  an  ignominious  cross.  "  Having  loved  His 


GOODNESSOFGOD.  43 

own,  He  loved  them  even  to  the  end."  The  Son  of  God  died  for 
us  S  0  !  goodness  of  God  !  0  !  mercy  of  the  Lord  !  Yes,  I  will 
praise  Thee,  0  Lord,  for  all  time  to  come,  with  my  whole  heart ; 
"because  Thou  hast  delivered  my  soul  from  death,  my  feet  from 
falling,  that  I  may  please  in  the  sight  of  the  living."*  0  !  bounty 
of  God,  can  I  ever  be  wanting  in  confidence  in  Thee  ?  Surely  then, 
the  confidence  we  place  in  the  Goodness  and  mercy  of  God  is  just, 
because  well  grounded ;  but  is  it  not  true,  my  Brethren,  that  the 
remembrance  of  the  love  which  God  bears  you,  the  recollection  of 
His  precious  favors  and  His  infinite  bounties,  should  have  the  effect, 
not  merely  of  exciting  your  confidence  and  admiration,  but  also  of 
lighting  up  in  your  hearts  a  burning  love,  a  sincere  attachment  for 
so  tender  a  Father,  for  a  God  so  good,  who  has  loved  you  so  much  ? 
No,  you  will  no  longer  offend  this  God  of  Goodness,  you  will  no 
longer  disobey  this  best  of  Masters,  this  kindest  of  Fathers ;  and 
the  resolution  of  walking  henceforth  in  the  way  of  His  command- 
ments, will  be  indelibly  imprinted  upon  your  hearts.  The  Lord 
would  not  then  say  to  you  :  "I  have  raised  up  children ;  I  have  fed 
them  and  they  have  despised  me."f  No,  you  will  sin  no  more, 
and  you  will  bear  constantly  in  mind  that  "the  grace  of  God  our 
Saviour  hath  appeared  to  all  men,  instructing  us,  that  renouncing 
impiety  and  worldly  desires,  we  should  live  soberly,  and  justly,  and 
piously  in  this  world. "J  You  will  remember  the  abounding  Good- 
ness of  our  God,  and  you  will  contribute  to  His  glory,  walking  in 
the  practice  of  every  good  work,  and  thereby  worthily  preparing 
yourselves  to  be  admitted  into  that  delightful  paradise  to  which  He 
invites  us  all,  and  which  He  has  opened  unto  us  by  His  sufferings 
and  death  on  the  cross. — AMEN. 

*  Psalms,  Iv  :  13.  f  Isaias,  i.  J  Titus,  ii :  41,  12. 


44  SHORT   SERMONS. 


SERMON  VII. 

PEOVIDENCE   OF    GOD 


"  Know  ye  that  no  one  hath  hoped  in  the  Lord,  and  hath  been  confounded." — 
ECCLESIASTICUS,  ii :  11. 

IT  is  the  creative  hand  of  God  which  drew  from  nothing  the 
world  and  all  that  it  contains,  and  it  is  His  Providence  which 
watches  over  and  preserves  all  things.  If  the  sun  faithfully  runs  its 
course  in  the  heavens,  it  is  God  who,  as  it  were,  leads  it  along. 
If  that  beneficent  planet  sheds  light  and  fertility  on  the  earth,  it  is 
because  God  so  ordains  it.  If  the  earth  supplies  our  wants  and 
rewards  the  labor  of  man  by  yielding  him  his  daily  bread,  it  only 
obeys  the  commands  of  the  Lord.  If  the  air  descends  into  our 
breasts  and  keeps  us  alive,  it  but  follows  the  path  marked  out  for  it 
by  Providence.  Yes,  my  Brethren,  the  eye  of  Providence  is  always 
upon  the  works  of  creation,  and  from  the  crawling  worm  to  the 
highest  star,  every  thing  is  an  object  of  the  tenderest  solicitude  of 
the  Lord.  Oh !  "  know  ye  that  no  one  hath  hoped  in  the  Lord,  and 
hath  been  confounded.''  Yes,  we  ought  to  have  confidence  in  the 
paternal  Providence  of  God,  for  He  is  all-powerful,  He  is  infinitely 
wise,  and  His  bounty  knows  no  limits.  You  know  it  is  of  this 
Providence*  that  I  wish  to  speak  to  you  to-day.  It  is  a  most  inter- 
esting subject :  listen  then  with  attention.  In  vain  would  all  the 
beings  in  heaven,  on  earth  and  in  hell  unite  their  efforts  to  oppose 
the  exercise  of  God's  power ;  the  will  of  the  Lord  must  ever  be 
accomplished.  The  reward  will  always  be  given  and  the  punish- 
ment inflicted  just  as  it  pleases  God.  This  is  a  truth  supported  by 
numerous  examples  drawn  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures  or  furnished 
by  the  experience  of  all  ages.  Joseph,  while  yet  a  youth,  had 
attained  the  highest  degree  of  perfection  iii  the  practice  of  virtue, 


PROVIDENCE   OF   GOD.  45 

and  the  most  ardent  piety  adorned  his  beautiful  soul.  In  the 
designs  of  God  it  was  in  consequence  determined  that  he  should  he 
raised  to  honors  and  to  wealth.  Beloved  by  his  father  Jacob,  he 
was  for  that  very  reason  an  object  of  aversion  to  his  brothers, 
whose  hatred  increased  when  they  learned  that  Joseph  had  resolved 
to  reveal  to  their  father,  a  heinous  crime  of  which  these  wicked 
youths  were  guilty.  But  their  hatred  was  changed  into  fury  when 
Joseph  in  his  simplicity,  made  known  to  them  the  two  dreams 
which  the  Lord  had  sent  him,  and  which  foretold  that  this  holy  son 
of  Jacob  would  be  invested  with  great  authority  over  his  brothers. 
In  their  unnatural  rage  they  determined  to  take  away  his  life,  but 
God  willed  that  Buben,  the  eldest  of  the  patriarch's  children,  should 
oppose  their  horrid  design.  His  Providence  brought  along  some 
Egyptian  merchants,  and  to  them  Joseph  was  sold  by  his  brethren. 
After  that  he  became  a  slave  to  Potiphar,  the  captain  of  the  king's 
guards,  who  at  first  recognizing  the  profound  wisdom  of  this  holy 
young  man,  treated  him  well,  but  being  deceived  by  calumny,  had 
him  before  long  cast  into  a  prison.  Here  he  lay  for  some  years, 
until  the  Providence  of  God  in  a  wonderful  manner,  made  him 
known  to  Pharao,  the  king  of  Egypt.  His  wisdom,  and  the  fore- 
sight which  the  Almighty  had  given  to  him,  enabled  him  to  render 
most  signal  services  to  the  king  and  all  the  people  of  Egypt,  and 
Pharao,  in  gratitude  for  these  services,  elevated  him  to  the  dignity 
of  governor  of  his  empire,  and  made  him  the  greatest  man  in  the 
kingdom  next  himself.  Thus  it  was  that  God  at  length  rewarded 
the  virtues  of  his  servant  Joseph. 

From  this  same  land  of  Egypt,  the  cry  of  the  Israelites  arose  to 
the  Lord  to  deliver  them  from  the  cruel  slavery  under  which  they 
had  groaned  for  so  many  years.  God  commands  Moses  and  his 
brother  Aaron  to  go  and  inform  Pharao  that  he  must  permit  the 
children  of  Israel  to  leave  the  land  of  Egypt.  Pharao  hardens 
his  heart,  resists  the  command  of  God,  and  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
chastises  him  and  his  people  with  ten  frightful  plagues.  The  cruel 
king  is  forced  to  acknowledge  the  finger  of  the  Almighty  in  the 
wonders  which  were  wrought  before  his  eyes ;  he  bows  to  the  man- 
dates of  heaven,  and  allows  the  people  of  God  to  depart.  But  he 
soon  grows  sorry  and  changes  his  mind.  Then,  at  the  head  of  a 
powerful  army,  he  follows  on  the  tracks  of  the  Israelites :  he  sees 


46  SHORT   SERMONS. 

them,  hastens  his  march,  and  resolves  to  massacre  them  on  the 
shores  of  the  Red  Sea.  But  what  can  man  do  in  opposition  to  the 
designs  of  God  ?  God  commands  ;  Moses  strikes  the  waters,  and 
they  rise  like  high  walls  on  each  side  to  give  a  passage  to  the  poor 
fugitives.  The  king  of  Egypt  presses  on  their  steps  in  this  road 
hollowed  out  in  the  middle  of  the  sea ;  once  more  Moses  strikes  the 
waters,  the  sea  returns  to  its  bed  and  buries  in  its  waves  the  entire 
Egyptian  army.  Thus  it  is  God  punishes  the  wicked. 

God  is  all-powerful ;  what  he  wills  is  accomplished  in  despite  of 
all  the  evil  designs  and  criminal  projects  of  men.  "  There  is  one 
most  high  Creator,  Almighty,  and  a  powerful  King  and  greatly  to 
be  feared,  who  sitteth  upon  His  throne,  and  He  is  the  God  of 
dominion."*  Children  of  an  all-powerful  God,  have  confidence  in 
your  heavenly  Father,  and  let  yourselves  be  conducted  by  His  holy 
and  adorable  Providence,  which  rules  and  disposes  all  things  accord- 
ing to  the  councils  of  the  most  profound  wisdom.  God  knows 
all  things,  sees  all  things,  ordains  all  things  ;  nothing  happens, 
nothing  is  done,  but  what  the  Lord  wills  or  permits.  "And 
all  their  works  are  as  the  sun  in  the  sight  of  God ;  and  His  eyes 
are  continually  upon  their  ways."f  It  is  by  dispensation  of  His 
will  or  permission  of  His  wisdom,  that  good  things  or  evil,  health 
and  sickness,  success  and  misfortune,  prosperity  and  misery  come 
upon  us.  Every  thing  in  the  world  moves  along  in  the  paths 
marked  out  by  Providence ;  it  is  the  Lord  who  directs  the  steps  of 
man,  whether  he  be  a  scourge  of  God,  who  lays  waste  the  land,  or 
an  peaceful  ploughman  who  makes  it  fertile  by  his  labor.  Even 
the  most  minute  events  are  balanced  in  the  hand  of  Providence,  for 
the  Lord  hath  said,  "  not  a  sparrow  shall  fall  to  the  ground  without 
the  will  of  your  heavenly  Father.  The  very  hairs  of  your  head  are 
numbered. "J  Let  your  hearts,  therefore,  repose  with  the  utmost 
confidence  on  the  infinitely  wise  Providence  of  your  God.  Receive 
with  gratitude  the  blessings  He  bestows  upon  you,  but  also  accept 
with  resignation,  and  bear  with  patience,  the  crosses  He  sends  you  ; 
murmur  not  against  God,  and  arraign  not  His  Providence.  Ah ! 
my  Brethren,  how  can  we  be  so  daring  as  to  summon  the  Provi- 
dence of  God  to  the  tribunal  of  our  weak  reason  ?  Who  are  we 

»  Ecclesiasticus,  i :  8.     f  Ecclesiasticus,  xvii :  16.      i  St.  Matthew,  x  :  29,  30. 


PROVIDENCE   OF   GOD.  47 

that  we  would  enter  into  dispute  with  the  Lord  ?  And  nevertheless 
we  have  the  audacity  to  do  so,  when  we  criticise  the  conduct  of 
God ;  as  for  example,  in  the  distribution  of  worldly  goods.  Why, 
we  ask,  are  there  some  rich,  and  some  poor  ?  Tell  me,  my  Breth- 
ren, if  all  were  rich,  who  would  he  willing  to  labor  ?  Who  would 
wish  to  be  laborer,  mechanic,  or  servant?  If  all  were  masters, 
who  would  obey  ?  Who  would  prevent  crime  and  resist  injustice  ? 
If  all  were  poor,  who  would  assist  the  unfortunate !  The  world 
would  be  like  a  vast  hospital  overcrowded  with  suffering  beings 
without  aid  and  without  resources.  Take  the  world  then  as  it  is, 
and  acknowledge  and  adore  the-  supreme  wisdom  of  your  Creator, 
for  it  is  ever  accompanied  by  His  infinite  bounty.  This  pious,  up- 
right man,  prospers  in  his  enterprises,  lives  to  a  good  old  age,  and 
enjoys  happiness;  why?  because  he  is  worthy  of  this  happiness. 
His  virtues  deserved  it,  and  he  knows  how  to  make  a  holy  use  of 
the  goods  which  God  gives  him.  On  the  other  hand,  I  see  another 
righteous  Christian  who  is  poor,  unfortunate,  pressed  down  with 
disease  and  with  sorrows ;  why  ?  0  because  God  desires  that  the 
heart  of  this  Christian  should  not  be  attached  to  this  world,  but 
that  he  should  aspire  to  the  possession  of  celestial  and  eternal  goods. 
Like  the  poor  man  Lazarus,  he  is  in  suffering,  but  if  like  Lazarus, 
he  walks  along  the  road  of  sorrows,  like  him  also  will  he  arrive  at  the 
heaven  of  joy.  Death  comes  and  takes  away  that  fervent  young 
Christian,  as  it  took  away  in  the  flower  of  their  youth  Abel  and 
Aloysius  of  Gonzaga ;  why  ?  because  God  hastens  to  call  him  to 
heaven,  there  to  reward  his  holy  life ;  or  perhaps  God,  who  loves 
him,  took  him  from  this  world,  foreseeing  that  a  longer  life  would 
have  caused  his  ruin  and  perdition. 

God  strikes  the  impious  and  wicked  with  death  in  the  midst  of 
their  career :  why  ?  because  they  are  unworthy  of  life,  and  He  is 
unwilling  that  their  bad  example  should  be  any  longer  a  tempta- 
tion to  the  just.  But  other  wicked  men  live  a  long  time  on  earth : 
there  is  no  one,  no  matter  how  depraved  he  may  be,  who  has  not 
sometimes  performed  some  good  deeds.  God  grants  him  a  long 
life,  thus  to  reward  on  earth  the  few  good  works  he  may  have  per- 
formed, and  also  to  give  him  time  to  be  converted  and  to  be  saved. 
It  often  happens,  that  the  Lord  strikes  a  terrible  blow,  prostrates 
the  wicked,  and  plunges  him  into  misery,  sickness  and  misfortune ; 


48  SHORT    SERMONS. 

thus  to  compel  him  to  open  his  eyes  to  the  true  light,  to  acknowl- 
edge his  crimes,  to  be  converted,  and  to  save  his  soul. 

Yes,  my  Brethren,  the  wisdom  of  God  is  displayed  in  all  He 
does,  ordains  or  permits.  Therefore,  it  does  not  belong  to  our 
weak  reason  to  penetrate  the  inscrutable  designs  of  the  Lord  our 
God.  Let  us  often  say  with  the  Apostle :  "  Oh !  how  incomprehen- 
sible are  the  judgments  of  God!  how  unsearchable  are  His  ways!" 
How  good  God  is,  and  how  He  loves  to  take  care  of  us,  who  are 
the  work  of  His  hands ! 

God  is  good;  He  compares  himself  to  a  most  tender  father, 
saying:  "As  the  father  hath  compassion  on  his  children,  so  hath 
the  Lord  compassion  on  them  that  fear  Him."*  God  is  good, 
loving  us  with  more  than  a  mother's  love  and  tenderness,  for  he 
says  to  us :  "Can  a  woman  forget  her  infant,  so  as  not  to  have  pity 
on  the  son  of  her  womb  ?  and  if  she  should  forget,  yet  will  not  I 
forget  thee.  Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  in  my  hands. "f  You  see 
then  that  the  Lord  watches  over  you  with  more  care,  loves  you  with 
more  affection,  than  the  most  tender  mother  loves  her  beloved  child. 
Have  confidence  then  in  the  Providence  of  God.  How  the  millions 
of  poor,  who  like  the  birds  of  the  air  sow  not  neither  do  they  reap, 
and  yet  find  their  daily  bread,  proclaim  the  watchfulness  of  God's 
bounty,  and  the  maternal  solicitude  of  His  divine  Providence. 
How  the  poor  little  orphans,  who  deprived  of  father  and  mother, 
yet  find  at  the  hands  of  God,  nourishment  and  raiment,  exalt  His 
divine  goodness.  God  has  seen  their  tears,  He  has  heard  their 
sighs.  Surely  He  who  hears  so  plainly  and  answers  so  benignantly 
the  plaintive  cry  of  the  little  famishing  bird,  cannot  be  deaf  to  the 
voice,  or  heedless  of  the  misery  of  the  creatures  whom  He  has 
stamped  with  His  own  image  and  likeness  ?  After  the  example  of  all 
the  true  servants  of  God,  let  us,  my  Brethren,  repose  with  confi- 
dence on  the  Providence  of  God.  He  is  infinitely  powerful,  infi- 
nitely wise  and  good,  and  His  care  will  never  abandon  us.  But  let 
us  also  endeavor  to  fulfill  well  His  precepts  and  commandments ; 
let  us  discharge  with  diligence  and  cheerfulness  the  duties  of  the 
state  of  life  in  which  the  hand  of  God  has  placed  us ;  let  us  abound 
in  good  works,  and  thereby  contribute  to  the  glory  of  God ;  this  is 

*  Psalms,  cii:  13.  t  Isaias,  xlix:  15. 


THE    WOKLD     AND   THE   AN  GELS.  49 

our  vocation  in  this  world.  But  it  is  from  God  that  the  desire  and 
the  strength  to  accomplish  it  must  come.  Let  us,  therefore,  pray 
with  fervor  and  with  perseverance ;  let  us  ask,  and  it  will  be  given 
us ;  God  will  be  with  us,  and  every  day  we  will  feel  the  truth  of 
these  words  of  the  royal  prophet:  ''hope  in  the  Lord  and  do  good, 
and  all  things  will  turn  to  your  advantage." — AMEN. 


SERMON  VIII. 

FIRST  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED— (CONTINUED.) 
THE  WORLD  AND  THE  ANGELS. 


"  All  ye  works  of  the  Lord,  bless  the  Lord  :  0  ye  Angels  of  the  Lord,  bless  the 
Lord." — DANIEL,  iii :  57. 

WE  have  had  the  happiness  of  meditating  oil  the  Lord,  our  God, 
and  we  know  what  are  His  adorable  perfections.  We  will  adore 
Him  and  love  Him,  for  He  is  the  supreme  majesty,  whose  power  is 
without  limits,  whose  knowledge  is  infinite,  whose  goodness  is 
unbounded.  We  will  have  confidence  in  the  providence  of  our 
God,  for  whatever  it  does,  and  whatever  it  ordains  is  good,  holy  and 
adorable.  We  know  now  that  the  blessings  which  heaven  bestows 
upon  us,  and  the  evils  wherewith  we  are  afflicted,  all  proceed  from 
the  love  of  God  for  us,  the  love  of  a  father  for  his  children ;  our 
last  instruction  convinced  us  of  this.  Let  us  then  continue  the 
explanation  of  the  first  article  of  our  Creed,  and  let  us  speak  to-day 
of  the  creation  of  the  World  and  of  the  Angels.  To  create  is  to 
make  out  of  nothing,  to  call  into  existence,  to  give  being  to  that 
•which  was  not,  to  cause  a  being  to  exist  from  nothing  and  by  a 
single  act  of  the  will.  "Ibelieve  in  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  Crea- 
tor of  heaven  and  earth;"  that  is  to  say:  I  believe,  I  confess,  I 
acknowledge  that  in  the  beginning,  whilst  there  was  nothing,  and 
when  there  was  neither  heaven  nor  earth,  God,  who  is  from  all  eter- 
5 


50 


SHORT    SERMONS. 


nity,  called  from  nothing  every  thing  which  exits,  both  heaven  and 
earth,  and  every  thing  which  they  contain.  To  create  all  things,  He 
required  neither  matter  nor  instruments;  He  is  himself  the  sole 
principle  of  all  things,  even  of  matter  from  which  He  made  all 
things  else.  The  general  of  an  army  says :  let  the  army  march, 
and  forthwith  the  army  marches ;  let  it  make  such  an  evolution, 
and  the  evolution  is  made.  A  whole  army  is  put  in  motion  at  the 
command  of  one  man,  by  the  simple  motion  of  his  lips :  Feeble 
image  of  the  power  of  God  !  The  Almighty  has  no  lips  to  move ; 
His  word  is  not  like  that  of  man,  it  is  not  a  mere  vibration  of  air 
which  strikes  the  ear;  the  word  of  God  is  His  will.  He  spoke, 
that  is  to  say,  He  willed.  He  has  only  to  will  in  himself,  and  every 
thing  which  He  wills,  must  be  fulfilled  as  he  willed  it,  and  at  the 
time  which  He  marked  out.  "  Look  upon  heaven  and  earth,  and 
all  that  is  in  them,  and  consider  that  God  made  them  out  of  no- 
thing."* He  made  all  things  in  six  days.  It  was  not  through  dis- 
ability or  weakness  that  God  distributed  the  works  of  creation  into 
six  different  days,  neither  was  it  through  fatigue  that  He  rested 
when  He  had  completed  it.  But  He  wished,  by  dividing  them,  to 
make  us  more  attentive  to  His  wonders,  and  in  some  manner  to 
adapt  them  to  our  capacity,  by  showing  them  to  us  in  parts ;  He 
wished,  moreover,  to  teach  us  that  we  ought  to  labor  during  six 
days  of  the  week,  but  that  the  seventh  should  be  spent  in  holy  rest. 

Every  thing  which  God  created,  was  good  and  even  perfect. 
"  He  saw  all  the  things  which  He  had  made,"  says  the  inspired 
writer,  "  and  they  were  very  good."  Nevertheless,  there  were  some 
of  His  creatures  that  far  surpassed  the  others  in  excellence  and  per- 
fection. These  privileged  creatures  were  Angels  and  men. 

AVe  are  unable  to  say  precisely  on  what  day  or  in  what  instant 
of  the  creation  of  the  World,  it  pleased  God  to  create  the  Angels ; 
the  Holy  Scriptures  do  not  mention  it.  No  doubt,  it  was  in  the 
beginning;  for  the  Lord  says  in  the  book  of  Job :  "When  the 
morning  stars  praised  me  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  made  a 
joyful  melody."f  They  were  certainly  created  before  man  received 
existence,  since  Eve  was  deceived  by  the  devil,  the  chief  of  the  fallen 
Angels,  who  took  the  form  of  a  serpent  in  order  to  seduce  her. 

*  2  Machabees,  vii :  28.  t  Job,  xxxviii ;  7. 


THE  WORLD  AND  THE  ANGELS.          51 

The  Angels  are  pure  spirits,  endowed  with,  a  high  degree  of  intelli- 
gence, and  having  neither  body  nor  figure.  They  are  not  such  as 
they  are  represented  to  us.  We  see  them  painted  young,  because 
spirits  or  pure  intelligences,  never  grow  old ;  and  with  wings,  to 
show  the  speed  and  quickness  wherewith  they  execute  the  orders  of 
God,  for  "they  are  all  spirits  appointed  to  be  the  ministers  of  the 
will  of  the  Lord."*  They  were  created  in  the  state  of  grace 
and  sanctity,  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  God,  were  embellished  with 
all  the  gifts  of  grace  necessary  and  sufficient  for  their  perseverance 
in  good,  and  were  appointed  to  merit  by  their  perseverance  the 
happiness  of  never  falling.  But  the  Angels  were  free,  and  like 
us,  they  had  to  merit  by  their  fidelity,  the  happiness  of  being  con- 
firmed in  grace.  All  were  not  faithful;  there  were  some  among 
them  who  abused  their  liberty ;  who  had  the  audacity  to  rise  in 
rebellion  against  God,  and  revolt  against  their  sovereign  Master. 
But  they  lost  for  ever  the  ineffable  happiness  of  seeing  and  of  prais- 
ing, of  adoring  and  of  loving  God  in  heaven.  God  did  not  pardon 
these  rebellious  and  prevaricating  Angels ;  "but  having  cast  them 
down  into  the  place  of  torments,  delivered  them  into  the  chains  of 
hell  to  be  tormented,  to  be  reserved  unto  judgment.' 'j-  Thus  it 
was,  that  God  confounded  the  pride  of  these  rebel  spirits,  who  in 
the  person  of  Lucifer,  their  chief,  had  the  audacity  to  say:  "I  will 
ascend  into  heaven,  I  will  exalt  my  throne  above  the  stars,  and  I 
will  be  like  the  Most  High."J  See  how  they  were  hurled  into  the  bot- 
tom of  the  abyss,  which  had  been  prepared  for  them,  or  scattered  in  the 
air,  but  bearing  always  within  themselves  the  hell  which  burns  them. 

It  is  the  doctrine  of  all  authors,  the  Apostolic  doctrine,  as  St. 
Jerome  and  St.  Augustine  tell  us,  that  the  air,  which  is  between 
heaven  and  earth,  is  full  of  bad  Angels.  "  Our  wrestling  is  not 
against  flesh  and  blood,"  says  St.  Paul;  "but  against  principalities 
and  powers ;  against  the  rulers  of  the  world  of  this  darkness ;  against 
the  spirits  of  wickedness  in  high  places. "§  The  demons  hate  us, 
for  jealousy  gnaws  their  proud  hearts,  as  they  know  that  an  exceed- 
ingly great  promise  was  made  to  us,  and  that  we  have  it  in  our 
powe"r,  to  attain  those  thrones  in  heaven  which  they  have  lost. 
Hence  they  spare  no  pains,  but  labor  continually  to  drag  us  into 

*  Hebrews,  i.       f  2  Peter,  ii:  4.       t  Isaias,  xiv :  13.        §  Ephesians,  vi :  12. 


52  SHORT    SE  KM  ONS. 

sin,  that  they  may  thereby  wrest  us  from  God.  Wherefore,  says 
the  Holy  Ghost,  "be  sober,  and  watch;  because  your  adversary,  the 
devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  goeth  about,  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour."* 

No  doubt,  the  devil  is  full  of  craft  and  malice ;  still,  he  can  only 
entice  and  tempt,  but  he  can  not  offer  you  violence.  "  He  is  like  a 
chained  dog,"  says  St.  Augustine ;  "he  can  bark,  but  he  can  not  bite 
any,  except  those  who  go  near  him,  and  rashly  expose  themselves 
to  his  teeth."  The  fault  then  always  rests  with  ourselves,  if  we  fall 
into  sin ;  for  it  is  always  possible  for  us,  with  the  aid  and  the  grace 
of  God,  to  resist  the  most  violent  temptations.  Great  is  the  hatred 
of  the  devil,  furious  the  envy  which  gnaws  his  heart ;  far  beyond 
that  of  men  is  his  power ;  and  yet  he  can  not  hurt  your  souls,  if  you 
preserve  in  your  heart  a  firm  resolution  of  living  well,  if  you  place 
your  confidence  in  God,  if  you  pray,  and  follow  the  counsel  of  the 
good  Angels  who  remained  faithful  to  the  Lord. 

But  while  on  one  side,  the  spirits  of  the  abyss  and  the  powers  of 
darkness  struggle  with  all  their  might  to  injure  us,  and  make  us 
unfaithful  to  the  holy  law  of  God,  that  we  may  one  day  suffer  and 
blaspheme  with  them  in  hell ;  on  the  other,  the  Angels  of  heaven 
are  always  ready  to  help  us  with  their  powerful  assistance,  to  protect 
us,  and  defend  us  against  the  suggestions  and  temptations  of  our 
enemies.  In  fact,  it  is  not  only  that  they  might  honor,  praise  and 
adore  Him  in  heaven,  that  the  Almighty  created  the  Angels ;  but  also 
that  they  might  minister  to  those  who  were  to  possess  the  inherit- 
ance of  salvation,  "  and  He  hath  given  His  Angels  charge  over  thee 
to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways."*  Yes,  these  holy  Angels,  faithful  to 
the  divine  command,  constantly  walk  at  our  right  hand  and  discover 
to  us  the  snares  which  the  devil  lays  for  us.  They  are  unceasingly 
occupied  inspiring  us  with  a  holy  fear  of  God,  and  with  a  lively 
and  constant  love  of  virtue.  0  !  who  can  tell  the  charity  of  these 
happy  spirits !  their  sympathy  for  our  misfortunes,  their  attention 
to  our  wants !  their  patience  in  supporting  our  weakness !  Certain 
of  their  own  salvation,  they  have  no  uneasiness  but  for  us.  It  is, 
therefore,  that  they  manifest  such  great  joy  in  heaven  when  a  sinner 
is  converted,  and  does  penance ;  hence  they  pray  for  us  with  such 

*  1  Peter,  v:  8  t  Psalms,  xc:  11. 


CREATION   AND  SIN    OF   THE    FIRST   MAN.  53 

great  fervor.  Hence  comes  that  attention  which  they  still  have  in  pre- 
senting before  the  throne  of  the  Lord,  our  supplications  and  our  vows. 
We  will  never  depart  from  the  way  of  wisdom  and  of  duty,  my 
Brethren,  but  will  ever  advance  toward  perfection  and  happiness, 
if  we  keep  closely  united  to  these  holy  Angels,  listen  attentively  to 
their  good  counsels,  follow  their  salutary  inspirations,  and  corres- 
pond to  the  care  they  take  to  conduct  us  to  heaven.  Let  us  do  this, 
let  us  always  do  this,  my  Brethren,  and  thus  guided,  we  are  sure  to 
pass  safe  and  sound,  through  the  dangerous  desert  of  this  life,  and 
we  shall  infallibly  reach  the  sublime  goal,  which  the  Lord  hath 
marked  out  for  us ;  we  shall  reach  heaven,  for  which  the  paternal 
hand  of  God  formed  us. — AMEN. 


SERMON  IX. 

FIRST  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED.— (CONTINUED.) 

CREATION  AND  SIN  OF  THE  FIRST  MAN. 


"  Let  us  make  man  to  our  image  and  likeness." — GENESIS,  i :  26. 

OF  all  creatures  that  are  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  the  angels  and 
men  are  the  most  noble,  because  being  endowed  with  the  gift  of 
reason,  they  bear  a  greater  likeness  to  God.  The  angels  were  crea- 
ted in  sanctity  and  justice,  but  all  did  not  remain  faithful  to  the 
Lord.  Many  of  them  were  ruined  through  pride,  and  were  driven 
by  the  justice  of  God  from  heaven.  These  rebellious  spirits,  jealous 
of  the  happiness  to  which  the  bounty  of  the  Lord  calls  us,  endeavor 
by  every  possible  means  to  deprive  us  of  this  happiness  by  render- 
ing us  unworthy  of  it.  But,  if  the  bad  angels  seek  our  ruin,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  good  angels  protect  us,  discover  to  us  the  snares 
of  our  enemy,  and  teach  us  how  to  avoid  them.  Such  was  the  im 
portant  matter  which  I  unfolded  to  you  in  our  last  instruction 


54  S  II  GET    SERMONS. 

To-day  I  will  recall  to  your  recollection  what  religion  teaches  on  the 
subject  of  the  Creation  and  the  sad  fall  of  the  first  man. 

On  the  sixth  day  of  Creation,  every  thing  in  nature  was  ready ; 
but  the  world  was  like  a  state  without  a  king,  like  a  temple  without 
a  priest,  and  all  creatures,  insensible  and  inanimate  themselves, 
demanded  an  interpreter,  who  could  give  glory  for  them  to  the 
Lord.  Then  it  was  that  God  said:  "Let  us  make  man  to  our 
image  and  likeness."  He  took  a  little  of  the  slime  of  the  earth,  a 
little  clay,  and  from  it  formed  the  body  of  man ;  He  breathed  upon 
this  body,  that  is  to  say,  He  created  a  soul  which  He  placed  in  this 
body,  and  to  His  work  He  gave  the  name  of  Adam,  which  signifies 
man  of  earth,  or  red  earth. 

If  Adam  had  to  remain  the  only  one  of  his  kind,  or  if  he  were 
to  have  for  his  companions  only  the  irrational  animals,  there  would 
have  been  no  one  with  whom  he  could  converse  on  the  advantages 
of  his  happy  state,  and  the  blessings  of  his  bountiful  Creator.  God 
therefore  said :  "  It  is  not  good  that  man  be  alone ;  let  us  make  for 
him  a  companion  like  to  himself."  And  at  the  same  instant  Adam 
fell  into  a  profound  sleep ;  the  Lord  took  from  his  side  a  rib,  with 
which  He  formed  the  body  of  woman;  infused  into  her,  as  into 
Adam,  a  spiritual  and  immortal  soul,  and  gave  to  this  woman  the 
name  of  Eve,  which  signifies  mother  of  the  living.  Such  is  the 
history  of  the  Creation  of  our  first  parents,  as  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
preserved  it  for  us  in  the  books  of  Moses. 

You  see,  my  Brethren,  man  is  a  being  composed  of  two  parts, 
which  are  essentially  different.  He  is  composed  of  a  body  formed 
from  the  slime  of  the  earth,  and  of  a  spiritual,  rational,  immortal 
soul,  which  is  most  certainly,  the  noblest  portion  of  our  being ;  or 
rather  our  being  is  essentially  the  soul,  and  our  body  is  but  the 
clothing.  It  is  by  our  soul  and  by  it  alone,  that  we  take  our  place 
in  the  ranks  of  intelligent  and  rational  beings.  It  is  by  our  soul 
and  by  it  alone,  that  we  are  made  the  images  of  God.  It  is  by  our 
soul  and  by  it  alone,  that  we  are  elevated  even  to  the  knowledge  of 
our  God,  adore,  love  and  serve  Him.  It  is  by  our  soul  and  by  it 
alone,  that  we  are  enabled  to  see  God  in  heaven,  to  contemplate 
Him,  and,  in  this  ineffable  contemplation,  to  taste  the  supreme  hap- 
piness. And  what  is  our  body  ?  A  little  slimy  earth.  It,  there- 
fore, is  nothing ;  in  the  soul  behold  our  real  treasure,  behold  our  true 


CREATION    AND    SIN    OF   THE    FIRST   MAN.  55 

glory.  It  was  not  drawn  from  matter,  the  earth  was  not  the  place 
of  its  origin  ;  it  came  from  God,  pure,  spiritual  and  immortal. 
Alas  !  How  little  do  we  comprehend  our  dignity !  We  carry  in 
our  breasts  a  soul  on  which  God  has  engraved  His  own  likeness,  an 
immortal  soul,  and  we  carry  it  as  heedless  of  the  fact  as  the  moun- 
tain is  insensible  to  the  treasure  concealed  beneath  its  surface.  St. 
Bernard  reproaches  our  folly,  when  he  said,  that  it  seems  there  is 
nothing  more  vile  to  our  eyes  than  our  soul.  We  see  only  our 
body,  we  love  only  our  body,  we  do  nothing  good  except  for  the 
body;  but  our  body  comes  from  the  earth,  and  it  will  return  to  the 
earth,  while  our  soul  comes  from  God,  and  it  ought  to  return  to  God. 
Take  care  then  that  you  do  not  dishonor,  and  that  you  do  not  lose 
this  heaven-born  soul ;  take  care  that  you  do  not  descend  even  to 
the  ranks  of  the  brutes  by  making  yourselves  slaves  of  vile  and 
shameful  passions.  0  !  such  is  not  the  destiny  of  man,  no, — man  is 
made  for  heaven. 

Man,  so  signally  favored  above  all  visible  creatures,  was  placed 
in  a  garden  of  delights.  It  was  his  duty  to  love  his  God ;  to  serve 
Him  by  his  love ;  to  bless  that  beneficent  hand  which  heaped  upon 
him  so  many  favors,  and  to  look  for  eternal  glory  as  the  recom- 
pense of  his  fidelity.  Had  he  remained  faithful,  death  would  not 
have  come  to  separate  his  soul  from  his  body ;  but,  without  under- 
going the  agony  of  death,  after  a  certain  time  spent  on  earth,  he 
would  have  been  borne  by  the  hand  of  God  into  heaven,  there  to 
enjoy  eternal  happiness.  Such  was  the  noble  destiny  of  man,  and 
to  attain  it,  every  means  was  given  him.  In  fact,  he  went  forth 
perfect  from  the  hands  of  God:  "God  made  man  right;"* 
"He  was  created  not  to  die,"  says  St.  Paul  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Romans. \  No  darkness  obscured  his  mind ;  no  dangerous  ignor- 
ance, no  defect  of  judgment  and  reason  tarnished  the  beauty  of  his 
soul.  He  possessed  all  the  natural  and  supernatural  lights  of  which 
he  was  capable,  and  which  were  suitable  to  him.  He  was  free,  but 
his  will  was  upright  and  inclined  to  good,  with  no  leaning  toward 
evil.  In  the  heart  of  our  first  father,  there  was  none  of  that  con- 
cupiscence which  disorders  our  inclinations,  there  were  none  of 
those  passions  which  disturb  the  serenity  of  our  souls  and  the  peace 

*  Ecclesiastes,  vii.  t  Romans,  v. 


56  S  II  O  R  T    S  E  K  M  O  N  S  . 

of  our  hearts.  In  Adam,  the  flesh  was  subject  to  the  spirit,  and 
the  spirit  might  have  been  easily  made  subject  to  God.  For  so 
many  great  favors  what  did  the  Creator  require  from  man?  That 
man  should  abstain  from  eating  the  fruit  of  a  certain  tree,  which 
was  pointed  out  to  him,  a  token  of  his  gratitude  that  he  should  have 
given  with  as  much  joy  as  fidelity.  But  behold,  the  devil  enters 
into  the  serpent,  presents  the  fatal  fruit  to  Eve,  addresses  her  with 
flattering  words,  and  inspires  her  with  a  deadly  pride.  Eve  eats  of 
this  fruit,  Adam  eats  of  it,  and  both  are  plunged  into  the  lowest 
depths  of  misery.  Awful  will  be  the  punishment,  for  great  has 
been  the  crime  which  they  have  committed. 

The  sin  of  Adam  was  a  sin  which  included  in  itself  a  vast  num- 
ber of  others  ;  it  was  a  sin  of  pride  and  of  the  most  insolent  pride, 
by  which  man,  not  content  with  the  degree  of  honor  to  which  God 
had  elevated  him,  wished  even  to  make  himself  equal  to  God ;  it 
was  a  sin  of  revolt,  by  which  the  creature  sought  to  usurp  that 
independence  which  belongs  only  to  God ;  it  was  a  sin  of  criminal 
curiosity,  of  base  sensuality,  of  black  ingratitude  toward  a  sover- 
eign benefactor;  it  was  an  impious  disobedience,  by  which  man, 
despising  the  express  prohibition  of  the  Creator,  refused  to  acknowl- 
edge him  as  his  master ;  it  was  a  crime  which  embraced  in  itself 
every  crime,  since  it  reduced  the  human  race  to  the  slavery  of  ignor- 
ance and  concupisence,  from  which  all  crimes  proceed ;  a  crime  by 
which  the  first  man  entailed  death  on  all  his  posterity  to  the  end  of 
ages.  Adam  was  the  murderer  of  himself  and  of  all  his  descend- 
ants, whom  he  deprived  of  the  life  of  innocence,  on  the  instant  of 
their  conception  in  their  mother's  womb.  The  sin  of  Adam  was 
a  sin  unutterable  in  its  enormity,  an  incomprehensible  misfortune  ! 
says  St.  Augustine.  And  this  sin  is  also  oars,  it  carries  ruin  to 
our  souls,  it  sullies  all  the  descendants  of  these  first  sinners: 
"  Wherefore  as  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  by  sin 
death;  so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  in  whom  all  have  sinned."* 
"  And  we  were  by  nature  children  of  wrath."j- 

Adam  sinned,  he  committed  a  great  crime,  and  punishment  fell 
upon  the  guilty.  The  change  which  was  wrought  in  Adam  and  in  all 
nature,  was  frightful ;  the  flesh  rebelled  against  the  spirit,  disorder 

*  Romans  v:  12.  t  Ephcsians  ii :  3. 


CREATION    AND  SIN    OF   THE    FIRST   MAN.  57 

settled  in  the  heart  and  in  the  body  of  man,  thick  darkness  obscured 
his  soul,  his  will  became  unruly,  his  passions  usurped  the  place  of 
reason  and  justice,  and  his  propensities  became  corrupt,  and  inclin- 
ing him  to  evil.  He  is  driven  from  the  earthly  paradise  by  the 
angel  of  the  Lord ;  he  must  suffer,  groan,  and  eat  his  bread  in  the 
•sweat  of  his  brow.  He  lost  the  life  of  the  soul,  when  he  lost  jus- 
tice, and  when  he  separated  himself  from  God :  he  may  be  justly 
regarded  as  dead,  since  for  him  death  is  inevitable,  and  the  infirmi- 
ties and  calamities  to  which  he  is  henceforth  subject,  are  the  prepar- 
ation and  forerunner  of  his  painful  death.  Man  committed  a  crime 
which  should  have  caused  his  irreparable  ruin,  but  Thou,  0  my 
God,  hast  cast  upon  him  a  look  of  mercy.  Oh !  how  immense  is  the 
mercy  which  the  Lord  has  displayed  toward  prevaricating  man ! 
Learn,  O  my  Brethren,  how  grateful  you  ought  to  be  to  the  pater- 
nal bounty  of  your  God.  The  angels,  it  is  true,  sinned  in  heaven, 
but  this  sin  defiled  only  those  angels  who  were  guilty,  it  matters 
not,  for  them  there  is  no  hope  of  pardon,  and  the  justice  of  God, 
swifter  than  the  lightning's  flash,  overtakes  them,  and  precipitates 
them  from  heaven  into  the  eternal  torments  of  hell.  Man  also 
became  guilty ;  did  God  reject  him  forever  ?  0  boundless  mercy  ! 
God  gave  man  time  to  enter  into  himself,  to  acknowledge  his  fault, 
to  weep  over  his  crime,  to  do  penance,  and  to  recover  the  heaven 
which  he  had  lost.  0  divine  bounty  !  man  commits  a  crime  unut- 
terable in  its  malice,  an  incomprehensible  crime,  and  on  the  very 
instant  God  comes  to  him,  seeks  him,  calls  him,  and  promises  to 
him  a  Saviour  who  would  die  for  man's  sins.  This  Saviour  will  be 
the  only  Son  of  that  great  offended  God, — Jesus  Christ. — who, 
eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-nine  years  ago,  descended  from  the 
highest  heavens  into  the  virginal  womb  of  Mary,  clothed  himself 
with  our  nature,  and  became  man  without  ceasing  to  be  God  ;  who 
took  upon  himself  all  our  iniquities,  and  died  on  the  cross  to  redeem 
us  from  hell.  It  is  this  divine  Jesus  who  opened  heaven  for  us,  and 
who  invites  us  to  follow  him  in  the  pathway  of  virtue,  which  leads 
to  supreme  happiness. — AMEN. 


58  SHORT   SKBMONS. 


SERMON  X. 

SECOND  AND  THIRD  ARTICLES  OF  THE  CREED. 

THE   INCARNATION. 


"And  in  Jesus  Christ,  His  only  Son,  our  Lord." — APOSTLES'  CREED. 

MAX,  created  to  the  image  of  God  in  sanctity  and  justice,  placed 
in  the  terrestrial  paradise,  and  loaded  with  graces  and  with  favors, 
had  the  audacity  to  transgress  the  law  of  his  Creator ;  defiled  with 
the  stain  of  sin,  he  became  unfortunate  himself,  and  made  all  his 
posterity  sharers  in  his  misfortune.  Such  is  the  teaching  of  faith. 
But  it  would  avail  us  little  to  know  the  origin  and  cause  of  our 
evils,  if  we  did  not  also  know  their  remedy.  Now  this  so  necessary 
remedy,  religion  teaches  us,  is  to  be  found  in  the  sacred  mystery  of 
the  Incarnation,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  mystery  of  the  Son  of  God 
made  man,  a  mystery  which  we  profess  to  believe  every  time  we 
recite  the  Creed,  wherein  we  say;  "I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  His 
only  Son,  our  Lord,  who  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  born 
of  the  Virgin  Mary."  It  is  this  adorable  mystery  which  will  make 
the  subject  of  our  present  instruction.  Listen  then  to  me,  I  pray 
you,  with  attention. 

That  we  may  conceive  a  just  "idea  of  the  great  mystery  of  the 
Incarnation,  let  us  first  give  ear  to  the  Apostle  St.  John.  "  In  the 
beginning,"  he  says,  "was  the  Word,"  that  is  to  say,  the  Son  of 
God,  "and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  All 
things  were  made  by  Him,  and  without  Him  was  made  nothing 
that  was  made.  .  .  .  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made 
by  Him,  and  the  world  knew  Him  not.  .  .  .  And  the  Word  was 
made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  full  of  grace  and  truth."* 

*  St.  John,  i. 


niE    INCARNATION.  59 

Beliold,  my  Brethren,  the  most  sublime  and  most  touching  ex- 
pression possible  of  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation.  We  see  here 
the  eternal  Word,  the  only  Son  of  God,  the  second  person  of  the 
most  Holy  Trinity,  in  all  the  majesty,  which  becomes  Him  as  God  ; 
but  this  eternal  Word,  by  whom  all  things  were  made,  and  without 
whom  nothing  was  made ;  this  great  God  who  filled  the  whole 
world  with  His  presence,  and  whom  the  world  knew  not,  to  what 
was  He  not  reduced  that  He  might  come  to  dwell  among  us,  and  thus 
make  himself  known  to  the  world?  "  He  was  made  flesh,"  that  is 
to  say,  He  is  united  to  the  flesh  in  such  a  manner,  that  He  was  made 
but  one  with  the  flesh.  "He  is  made  flesh;"  but  the  Son  of  God 
took  also  a  soul  like  ours ;  why  then  does  the  Apostle  speak  here 
only  of  the  flesh,  only  of  that  body  composed  of  flesh  and  bones, 
which  had  its  origin  from  the  slime  of  earth  ?  Ah !  my  Brethren, 
it  was  that  we  might  see  more  clearly  the  wonderful  humiliation 
to  which  the  Son  of  God  reduced  himself  through  love  of  us. 
Should  a  prince  descend  from  his  throne  and  put  on  the  dress  of  the 
meanest  of  his  subjects,  that  he  might  enter  the  dungeon  of  a  pool- 
prisoner  and  bear  him  words  of  consolation ;  would  he  on  that 
account  cease  to  be  prince  ?  Would  he  in  his  rags,  lose  any  of  his 
dignity  and  power  ?  assuredly  not.  Thus  it  was,  my  Brethren, 
that  the  Son  of  God  clothed  himself  in  our  flesh  and  assumed  the 
form  of  the  slave,  yet  without  losing  any  of  His  divinity,  but  con- 
tinuing to  be  after  His  Incarnation  all  that  He  had  been  before  it. 
Nevertheless,  since  we  are  only  dust  and  ashes,  it  is  always  true  to 
say  with  the  Apostle  St.  Paul,  that  in  becoming  like  unto  us,  the 
Son  of  God  humbled  himself  even  to  annihilation. 

"The  Word  was  made  flesh,"  the  Son  of  God  became  perfectly 
like  unto  us  poor  and  miserable  creatures  ;  in  truth,  sin  and  concu- 
piscence alone  excepted,  Jesus,  the  Son  of  the  Eternal  God,  was  as 
we  are.  Like  us,  He  had  a  body  subject  to  hunger,  to  thirst,  to 
fatigue,  to  sleep,  to  pain  and  to  death.  Like  us,  He  had  a  soul  sen- 
sible of  joy,  sadness,  fear,  hope  and  pity.  St.  Paul  admirably  ex- 
presses this  when  he  says  that  our  divine  Saviour  "was  tempted  in 
all  things  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."* 

The  Word  of   God  was  made  flesh,   and  the  body  which  He 


*  Hebrews,  iv;  15. 


60  SHORT    SERMONS. 

assumed,  He  took  in  the  chaste  womb  of  the  most  holy  Virgin 
Mary,  who  was  of  the  royal  family  of  David.  In  her  chaste  womh 
He  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  a  manner,  altogether  mirac- 
ulous and  divine.  The  same  God  who  created  heaven  and  earth, 
who  formed  from  dust  the  body  of  the  first  man,  and  his  soul  from 
nothing,  this  great  God,  from  the  most  pure  blood  of  Mary,  formed 
a  body  like  ours,  for  which  He  created  and  to  which  He  united  a 
human  soul,  but  a  soul  all  pure  and  holy.  At  the  very  instant 
when  God  formed  this  body  and  this  soul,  the  eternal  Word,  the 
second  person  of  the  most  adorable  Trinity,  descending  from  heaven, 
without  quitting  the  bosom  of  His  Father,  and  becoming  what  until 
then  He  was  not,  without  ceasing  to  be  what  from  all  eternity  He 
was,  came  to  unite  himself  to  this  body  and  to  this  soul,  by  a  tie 
which  even  death  could  not  sever.  The  Son  of  God  became  the 
Son  of  man ! 

Although  the  three  divine  persons  cooperated  in  this  sacred 
mystery  to  produce  this  body  and  this  soul,  and  the  union  of  the 
eternal  Word  with  this  body  and  this  soul,  yet  the  Apostles  and 
the  Church  attribute  this  miraculous  operation  to  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Ah !  my  Brethren,  the  reason  for  it  is  affecting.  It  is  because  the 
Holy  Ghost  being  the  essential  love  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  the 
work  of  the  Incarnation  of  the  Word  should  be  attributed  to  Him, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  the  most  manifest  and  most  sensible  proof  of 
God's  love  for  us:  "God,"  says  the  Holy  Ghost  himself,  "so 
loved  the  world,  that  He  delivered  up  His  only  Son,  in  order  that 
all  who  believe  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life." 

Guided  by  faith,  let  us  penetrate  as  far  as  possible  into  the  mys- 
tery of  the  Son  of  God,  made  man.  Jesus  Christ  is  at  the  same 
time  perfect  God  and  perfect  man.  He  is  God  like  His  Father, 
and  in  all  things  equal  to  Him  ;  He  is  man  like  us,  and  in  all  things 
like  us,  except  in  sin.  As  God,  says  St.  Augustine,  He  has  a 
Father  who  begot  Him  from  all  eternity,  and  He  has  no  mother ;  as 
man,  He  was  created  in  time,  and  has  no  father,  for  Joseph,  the 
spouse  of  Mary,  was  only  the  guardian  of  his  infancy.  As  God, 
Jesus  Christ  is  eternal,  and  was  before  Abraham  had  been  created. 
As  man,  He  was  the  descendant  of  Abraham.  As  God,  He  changed 
water  into  wine,  He  healed  with  a  word,  the  most  incurable  diseases, 
restored  the  dead  to  life,  and  commanded  all  nature.  As  man,  He 


THE    INCARNATION.  61 

was  born  in  Bethlehem,  fled  into  Egypt,  drank,  ate,  rested,  slept, 
was  troubled,  afflicted,  suffered  and  died.  Had  then  our  divine 
Saviour,  in  His  one  person,  two  distinct  natures,  a  divine  and  a 
human  one  ?  Yes,  and  each  of  these  natures  had  a  will  and  power 
of  action  proper  to  itself. 

But  these  two  natures  are  united  one  with  the  other  in  such  a 
manner,  that  they  cannot  be  separated.  They  will  and  act  together, 
and  their  wills  and  actions  are  always  in  perfect  harmony.  We 
can  not  separate  these  two  natures,  yet,  one  is  perfectly  distinct 
from  the  other,  the  sacred  humanity  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His  divin- 
ity make  but  one  and  the  same  person ;  the  soul,  the*  body  and  the 
divine  Word,  make  but  one  Jesus  Christ,  but  one  Man-God,  but 
one  God,  made  man,  who  was  both  God  and  man  at  the  same  time. 

What  follows  from  this  mysterious  union  ?  That  Jesus  Christ, 
being  both  God  and  man,  every  thing  that  He  has  said,  done  and 
suffered,  belongs  equally  to  one  and  to  the  other ;  that  the  birth  of 
Jesus  Christ,  perfect  man,  His  tears,  His  sufferings,  His  blood  and 
His  death  are  no  less  than  His  most  divine  works,  the  birth,  the 
tears,  the  sufferings,  the  blood  and  the  death  of  a  God.  Why? 
Because  it  was  not  a  part  of  Jesus  Christ  that  did  or  suffered  all 
these  things,  but  it  was  Jesus  Christ  whole  and  entire,  Jesus  Christ, 
both  God  and  man,  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  Son  of  God  and  God 
like  to  the  Father.  What  further  follows  from  this  mysterious 
union  ?  That  the  most  holy  Virgin  is  truly,  really,  properly,  and 
in  all  the  force  of  the  term,  the  mother  of  God.  It  is  true,  she  had 
no  part  in  the  eternal  generation  of  Jesus  Christ  as  God ;  but  Jesus 
both  God  and  man  was  not  less  wholly  and  completely  her  son  ; 
just  as  we  are  wholly  and  completely,  soul  and  body,  the  children 
of  our  mothers,  although  they  had  no  part  in  the  creation  of  our 
souls.  Mary  indeed  is  really  the  mother  of  God ;  to  her  alone  be- 
longs the  honor  of  having,  in  common  with  God  the  Father,  a  son 
who  is  at  the  same  time  both  her  son  and  the  Son  of  God.  This 
Son  of  God  made  man,  this  divine  Son  of  Mary  is  called  Jesus 
Christ.  This  is  the  name  given  Him  by  God  before  He  was  con- 
ceived in  the  womb  of  His  mother,  and  to  our  divine  Lord  alone 
does  it  belong  to  bear  this  sacred  name,  for  this  name  signifies 
Saviour,  and  Jesus  was  the  only  one  who  saved  us,  who  delivered 
us  from  our  sins  and  from  the  pains  of  hell  which  we  had  merited ; 


62  S  II  O  R  T    SERMONS. 

the  salvation  too  which  He  brought  on  earth,  is  the  eternal  salvation, 
the  salvation  which  a  God  alone  can  give.  Name  of  Jesus !  adora- 
ble name  of  my  divine  Saviour  !  thou  art  above  every  name !  at  the 
name  of  Jesus  then,  let  every  knee  bow  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and  in 
hell. 

The  name  of  Christ,  which  we  join  to  that  of  Jesus,  is  no  less 
divine,  for  our  Lord  has  said  "  flesh  and  blood  have  not  revealed  it, 
but  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven."  Christ  signifies  anointed  or 
consecrated ;  this  is  the  reason  our  divine  Saviour  is  called  the 
Christ.  He  is  in  himself  and  by  himself  the  Christ,  for  in  Him 
the  plenitude  of  the  divinity  dwells.  It  is  this  unction  of  the 
divinity  that  made  Him  at  the  same  time  priest,  king  and  prophet. 
As  priest,  He  offered  himself  for  us  on  the  cross,  and  still  offers 
himself  daily  on  our  altars.  As  king,  and  King  of  kings,  and 
Lord  of  lords,  "all  power  was  given  to  Him  in  heaven  and  on 
earth/'  As  prophet,  He  is  the  source  of  light;  for  He  contains 
within  himself  all  the  treasures  of  the  wisdom  and  of  the  science 
of  the  prophets,-  and  it  was  not  by  measure,  "but  in  all  its  pleni- 
tude, that  God  gave  His  Spirit  to  Him." 

Such,  my  Brethren,  was  He  whom  God  raised  up  in  the  midst 
of  His  people  to  conduct  them  to  salvation  and  happiness,  who 
blotted  out  the  sentence  of  condemnation  pronounced  against  us, 
who  reconciled  earth  with  heaven,  and  broke  down  the  thick  wall 
which  separated  us  from  God.  Glory,  honor  and  thanksgiving  to 
our  good  Saviour !  Ah  !  let  us  never  cease  to  praise  and  bless  Him  ! 
and  let  us  never  forget  that  this  good  Jesus  came  on  earth  to  induce 
us  to  follow  Him  in  the  path  of  virtue,  in  the  love  of  God,  and  the 
love  of  our  neighbor.  Let  us  follow  this  divine  Saviour,  for  He  is 
the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life ;  let  us  hear  Him,  He  alone  has  the 
words  of  eternal  life ;  let  us  perform  well  what  He  has  commanded, 
follow  the  example  He  has  given,  practice  the  heavenly  doctrine 
He  has  taught ;  and  then  truly  will  He  be  to  us  a  Saviour,  opening 
for  us  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  conducting  us  into  the  bosom  of 
God. — AMEN. 


CONCEPTION    OF   JESUS    CHRIST.  63 

M 

SERMON  XL 

SECOND  AND  THIKD  ARTICLES  OF  THE  CREED.— (CONTINUED.) 

CONCEPTION  AND  BIRTH  OF  JESUS  CHRIST. 


"  "Who  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary." — APOSTLES' 
CREED. 

THE  most  profitable,  necessary  and  precious  knowledge  which  we 
can  acquire,  is  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  which  must  enlighten  us, 
of  the  life  which  must  animate  us,  and  of  the  way  which  must  lead 
us  to  happiness ;  in  a  word — the  knowlege  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
for  He  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life.  Call  to  mind  then,  my 
Brethren,  the  truths  which  I  explained  to  you  in  my  last  instruc- 
tion. You  should  know  now  what  our  divine  Saviour  Jesus  Christ 
is.  He  is  both  God  and  man,  Son  of  God  and  Son  of  man.  As 
God,  Jesus  Christ  is  the  second  person  of  the  most  holy  Trinity  ; 
as  man,  He  is  the  son  of  the  holy  Virgin  Mary ;  as  God,  He  has  a 
divine  nature ;  as  man,  He  has  a  human  nature.  In  Jesus  Christ 
these  two  natures  are  perfectly  united,  without  being  confounded ; 
they  do  not  form  two  persons,  but  the  sacred  humanity  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  His  divinity,  united  together,  constitute  hut  one  and  the 
same  person,  the  person  of  the  Man-God.  To-day  we  will  consider 
why  and  how  the  Son  of  God  was  made  man. 

Why  was  the  Son  of  God  made  man?  "To  work  out  our  salva- 
tion," is  the  short  but  significant  answer  of  the  Council  of  Nice.  "It 
was  for  our  salvation : "  these  few  words  suffice  to  make  known  to  us 
the  inestimable  dignity  of  our  souls,  and  the  ineffable  love  of  God 
for  us.  "  As  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  this  world,  and  by  sin 
death ;  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  in  whom  all  have  sinned. 
....  And  not  as  it  was  by  one  sin,  so  also  is  the  gift ;  for  the 
judgment  indeed  was  by  one  unto  condemnation."*  Yes,  we  were 
condemned  to  eternal  perdition,  for  God  must  maintain  the  rights  of 

<  Romans  v  :  12,  16. 


64:  SHORT     SERMONS. 

His  justice,  and  He  could  not  leave  sin  unpunished.  It  was,  there- 
fore, absolutely  necessary,  after  the  sin  of  our  first  parents,  that 
the  human  family  should  be  lost  forever,  and  plunged  into  the  tor- 
ments due  to  sin,  or  that  a  sufficient  reparation  should  be  offered  to 
the  Lord.  But  who  could  give  that  satisfaction  which  the  justice 
of  God  demanded  ?  Will  it  be  you,  O  sinful  man  ?  Ah !  if  this 
reparation  depended  upon  you,  most  miserable  would  you  be,  since 
your  sin  could  never  be  forgiven !  All  the  reparation  you  could 
possibly  offer  to  God  would  never  bear  any  proportion  to  the  injury 
which  you  had  to  repair.  No,  you  could  never  satisfy  for  your 
sin ;  for  what  is  it  to  satisfy,  unless  it  be  to  restore  to  the  offended 
person  as  much  honor  at  least  as  was  taken  away  by  the  offence 
which  had  been  committed?  Now,  what  could  you  do,  0  man, 
when  you  abandoned  God  by  disobedience  ?  You  committed  against 
God  an  outrage  of  infinite  magnitude.  To  efface  this  injury  and  to 
repair  this  outrage,  it  was  necessary  for  you  to  present  to  the  Lord 
a  satisfaction  of  infinite  value  and  merit.  Could  you  have  done  so, 
sinner?  You,  who  had  nothing  pleasing  to  offer  to  the  Lord,  but 
what  was  already  His  on  a  thousand  other  titles.  Could  an  angel 
have  come  and  satisfied  for  man  ?  No,  an  angel  could  not ;  even  his 
merits  are  not  sufficiently  great.  Must  man,  therefore,  perish  ?  Oh, 
no,  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  will  not  forsake  him  in  his  misfortune, 
"  that  grace  might  reign  by  giving  everlasting  life  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  God  has  abundantly  showered  down  His  grace 
and  His  blessing.  "  He  so  loved  the  world  that  to  redeem  it,  He 
delivered  up  His  only  Son."*  Sin  must  be  punished,  but  the  sin- 
ner will  be  saved :  behold  how  mercy  and  truth  have  met  in  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  it  is  in  Him  and  through  Him  that  justice  and  peace 
have  kissed. 

God  ordains,  and  His  divine  Son  comes  on  earth  to  clothe  him- 
self with  our  nature,  to  take  upon  himself  all  our  iniquities,  and  to 
wash  them  in  His  blood,  which  for  our  redemption  He  poured  out 
upon  the  cross,  even  to  the  last  drop.  Thus  have  we  been  redeemed 
from  hell,  our  sin  effaced,  and  satisfaction  full  and  entire,  nay,  even 
superabundant  satisfaction  offered  to  the  divine  justice,  by  the  human 
nature,  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  divine  Saviour  was 

*  Romans,  v. 


BIRTH   OF    JESUS   CHKIST.  65 

bruisei  for  our  sins,  and  he  was  wounded  for  our  iniquities.  Be- 
hold, why  the  Son  of  God  was  made  man,  was  conceived  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 

When  the  time  had  arrived  wherein  He  had  resolved  to  save 
man,  "  the  angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  into  a  city  of  Galilee 
called  Nazareth,  to  a  virgin  espoused  to  a  man  whose  name  was 
Joseph,  of  the  house  of  David  :  and  the  name  of  the  virgin  was  Mary. 
And  the  angel  being  come  in,  said  to  her :  Hail,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord 
is  with  thee :  blessed  art  thou  among  women.  And  when  she  had 
heard,  she  was  troubled  at  his  saying,  and  thought  with  herself 
what  manner  of  salutation  this  should  be.  And  the  angel  said 
to  her:  fear  not  Mary;  for  thou  hast  found  grace  with  God: 
behold,  thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy  womb,  and  shalt  bring  forth 
a  Son ;  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus.  He  shall  be  great,  and 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  most  High ;  and  the  Lord  God  shall 
give  unto  Him  the  throne  of  David  His  father  :  and  He  shall  reign 
in  the  house  of  Jacob  forever,  and  of  His  kingdom  there  shall  be 
no  end.  And  Mary  said  to  the  angel :  How  shall  this  be  done, 
because  I  know  not  man  ?  And  the  angel  answering,  said  to  her :  The 
Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee ;  and  the  power  of  the  most  High 
shall  over-shadow  thee.  And  therefore  also  the  Holy  which  shall 
be  born  of  thee,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God.  .  .  .  And  Mary  said : 
Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord :  be  it  done  to  me  according  to 
thy  word.  And  the  angel  departed."  At  the  same  instant,  the 
only  Son  of  God  descended  from  the  highest  heavens  into  the  chaste 
womb  of  Mary,  invested  himself  there  with  our  nature,  took  a  body 
and  a  soul  like  ours,  and  became  like  unto  us,  sin  only  excepted. 

Some  time  after,  as  Joseph  was  of  the  house  and  of  the  family 
of  David,  he  went  from  Galilee  in  Judea,  from  the  city  of  Naza- 
reth to  the  city  of  David,  which  was  called  Bethlehem,  there  to  be 
enrolled  with  Mary,  his  spouse,  in  obedience  to  the  decree  of  Augus- 
tus Cassar.  While  they  were  there,  she  found  the  days  of  her 
delivery  were  accomplished,  and  she  brought  forth  her  first  born 
son,  and  wrapping  Him  in  swaddling  clothes,  laid  Him  in  a  man- 
ger, because  there  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 

No  doubt,  my  Brethren,  you  are  tempted  to  say  that  a  place  so 
mean  and  wretched,  is  by  no  means  suitable  to  the  grandeur  and 
majesty  of  a  God.  Ah !  the  love  of  our  Saviour  made  choice  of 


66  SHORT    SERMONS. 

it,  to  make  expiation  for  our  pride,  and  to  teach  us  humility.  Yet, 
in  the  bosom  of  His  humiliation,  and  the  depths  of  His  misery, 
this  divine  Infant  \vas  recognized  as  the  sovereign  Master  of  heaven 
and  of  earth.  The  heavens  open,  the  angels  descend  all  resplendent 
with  light,  and  sing  those  magnificent  words :  "  Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest,  and  peace  on  earth  to  men  of  good  will."  A  bright 
star  appears  in  the  east,  and  calls  the  Gentiles  to  the  cradle  of  the 
Desired  of  nations,  to  the  crib  wherein  reposes  the  Saviour  of  the 
world.  The  wise  men  follow  this  star,  which  proceeds  before  them, 
they  reach  Bethlehem,  and  there  prostrating  themselves,  adore  their 
hidden  God.  Eight  days  after  His  birth,  this  divine  Infant  was 
circumcised  and  received  the  name  of  Jesus ;  after  that  He  was 
presented  in  the  temple  to  His  heavenly  Father,  and  soon,  to  escape 
the  fury  of  King  Herod,  was  compelled  to  fly  with  Maiy  and  Joseph 
into  the  land  of  Egypt,  where  He  remained  until  the  death  of  His 
persecutor.  The  Gospel  preserves  almost  a  profound  silence  con- 
cerning all  the  time  which  elapsed  from  the  return  of  our  divine 
Saviour  into  His  country,  until  His  thirtieth  year ;  only  informing 
us  that  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  He  was  found  in  the  temple, 
astonishing  the  doctors  of  the  law  by  the  wisdom  of  His  answers, 
and  that  afterward  He  dwelt  at  Nazareth,  where  He  was  subject  to 
Joseph  and  to  Mary. 

Thus,  my  Brethren,  I  have  briefly  related  to  you  what  it  is  neces- 
sary for  you  to  know  concerning  the  Incarnation, — the  birth  and 
childhood  of  the  Son  of  God,  made  man.  It  is  doubtless  enough, 
to  penetrate  your  hearts  with  the  most  lively  sentiments  of  grati- 
tude at  the  sight  of  the  ineffable  love  which  God  has  manifested  for  us. 
Instead  of  overwhelming  you  and  plunging  you  into  eternal  misery, 
behold  how  the  Son  of  God,  equal  to  His  Father,  the  Word  divine, 
by  whom  all  things  were  made,  comes  into  this  world,  to  take  upon 
himself  our  infirmities  and  our  sins, — comes  to  pay  our  ransom  to 
His  heavenly  Father,  and  becomes  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  cross,  to  save  our  souls.  Oh  !  how  precious  is  your  soul,  since, 
to  redeem  it,  God  made  man  did  not  think  He  gave  too  much, 
when  He  gave  His  blood  and  His  life.  Oh  !  you  who  so  heedlessly 
commit  sin,  who  are  so  indifferent  to  the  interests  of  your  immor- 
tal soul,  you  who  are  so  cold  in  the  service  of  God,  I  beg  of  you, 
to  remember  that  to  redeem  you, — the  Son  of  God  was  made  man,— 


THE    INFANT    SAVIOUR.  67 

and  that  He  suffered  the  most  cruel  torments, — the  most  shameful 
death,  to  expiate  your  sin  and  to  satisfy  supreme  justice  for  you. 
May  the  remembrance  of  the  great  benefit  of  the  Incarnation  of  the 
Son  of  God,  and  of  the  redemption  which  He  brought  to  the  world, 
never  depart  from  your  minds  and  hearts  !  God,  my  Brethren,  has 
conferred  so  many  blessings  upon  us,  let  us  show  ourselves  grate- 
ful, and  let  us  return  to  the  Lord  love  for  love,  heart  for  heart;  let 
as  be  His  unreservedly  and  entirely, — let  us  do  well  what  He  re- 
quires, and  He  will  requite  us  according  to  His  promise, — He  will 
receive  us  into  heaven,  and  make  us  partakers  of  His  eternal  hap- 
piness.— AMEN. 


SERMON  XII. 

THE   INFANT    SAVIOUR 


"  This  day  is  born  to  you  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord. — ST.  LUKE,  ii:  11. 

^VHEN  our  divine  Saviour  was  born,  "there  were  in  the  same  coun- 
try shepherds  watching,  and  keeping  the  night-watches  over  their 
flocks.  And  behold,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  them,  .... 
and  they  feared  with  a  great  fear.  And  the  angel  said  to  them : 
Fear  not :  for  behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  that 
shall  be  to  all  the  people :  For  this  day  is  born  to  you  a  Saviour, 

who  is  Christ  the  Lord,  in  the  city  of  David And  suddenly 

there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host,  praising 
God  and  saying  :  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest ;  and  on  earth,  peace 
to  men  of  good  will.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  after  the  angels 
departed  from  them  into  heaven,  the  shepherds  said  one  to  another : 
Let  us  go  over  to  Bethlehem  ;  and  let  us  see  this  word  that  is  come  to 
pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  showed  to  us.  And  they  carne  with  haste  : 
and  found  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  the  infant  lying  in  a  manger.* 

*  St.  Luke :  ii. 


68  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Let  me,  my  Brethren,  once  more  ask  you  to  visit  the  manger  where 
the  Word  made  flesh  reposes,  and  express  to  you  the  thoughts  which 
the  sight  of  this  divine  Infant  excites  in  my  heart.  This  Infant, 
born  of  you,  0  Mary ;  this  Infant  so  weak,  so  tender,  lying  in  a 
manger  on  a  little  straw,  poorer  than  the  child  of  the  poorest  man, 
— is  the  Word  of  God,  the  Son  of  the  Eternal,  the  Son  of  the  Most 
High.  Yes ;  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  King  of  kings,  the  Creator 
of  heaven  and  earth,  the  Lord  of  lords,  who  poises  the  world  in  His 
hand, — is  fare  a  helpless  babe,  lying  in  a  manger ;  divine  Jesus,  Thou 
art  my  God,  and  I  adore  Thee.  You  too,  my  Brethren,  should  bow 
down  before  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and  say  to  Him :  Thou  art 
our  God  and  we  adore  Thee.  But,  since  Jesus  is  the  Lord  our  God, 
the  sovereign  Master  of  heaven  and  earth,  let  us  obey  His  word, 
keep  His  commandments,  and  submit  our  minds  and  hearts  to  His 
adorable  doctrine ;  let  us  walk  in  His  footsteps,  follow  the  example 
He  has  given  us,  for  He  wished  to  be  our  model.  It  would  be  but 
little  use  for  us  to  prostrate  ourselves  at  the  feet  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  say :  Lord  !  Lord  !  What  avail  these  tokens  of  adoration,  and 
these  fine  words,  if  our  hearts  do  not  speak ;  if  we  do  not  adore 
Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth  ?  Now,  does  that  man  sincerely  adore 
the  Lord,  who  despises  His  law  and  refuses  to  comply  with  His  holy 
will  ?  Certainly  not.  Ah !  my  Brethren,  placing  our  hands  upon 
our  hearts,  let  us  examine  ourselves  !  Jesus  commands  us  to  love 
our  neighbor  as  ourselves,  to  do  good  to  those  who  injure  us,  to  pray 
for  those  who  persecute  us ;  and  is  it  not  true  that  our  hearts  and 
souls  are  filled  with  enmity  and  hatred, — that  we  are  unable  to  bear 
the  slightest  offence,  and  seek  continually  to  be  revenged  ?  Is  it 
thus  that  Jesus  Christ  is  to  be  adored?  He  says  to  us:  "Be 
meek  an<J  humble  of  heart;"  and  we  always  seek  to  rule  and  to  be 
exalted ;  indignation  and  anger  take  possession  of  us,  the  moment 
we  imagine  that  some  one  has  failed  to  show  us  that  respect  which 
we  imagine  to  be  our  due.  Is  it  thus  that  we  ought  to  adore  Jesus 
Christ?  He  would  have  us  place  all  confidence  in  our  Father  who 
is  in  heaven,  and  who  takes  care  of  us ;  and  yet  at  the  smallest  pain  or 
the  most  trifling  annoyance,  we  have  the  hardihood  to  complain  and 
murmur  against  divine  Providence,  as  if  God  had  forsaken  us.  The 
Lord  warns  us  that  he  who  does  not  carry  his  cross,  and  who  refuses 
to  follow  Him,  is  not  worthy  of  Him :  and  yet,  my  Brethren,  we 


T  II  E    I  N  F  A  N  T    S  A  V  I  O  U  B  .  69 

are  unwilling  to  mortify  our  flesh,  with  its  desires ;  on  the  contrary, 
we  know  only  how  to  follow  our  base  propensities  and  yield  to  all 
the  demands  of  our  vile  passions.  Where  then  is  our  obedience  to 
the  Lord  ?  Where  is  our  submission  to  Jesus  Christ,  our  God,  who 
will  also  be  our  sovereign  Judge?  For  this  divine  Infant  who 
reposes  in  that  manger,  so  full  of  gentleness  and  sweetness,  will,  on 
the  day  of  judgment,  come  borne  on  the  clouds  of  heaven,  full  of 
glory  and  of  majesty,  surrounded  by  millions  of  angels,  to  judge 
all  men,  princes  and  peasants,  and  render  to  every  one  according  to 
his  works ;  to  some  eternal  glory,  to  others  eternal  pains.  Divine 
Jesus,  I  adore  Thee,  my  desire  is  to  obey  Thee,  to  follow  and  imi- 
tate Thee ;  be  merciful  to  me,  0  my  God !  0  my  Saviour ! 

How  many  great  and  sacred  things  does  not  the  word  Saviour 
contain  !  What  a  benefit  that  which  the  love  of  God  has  granted 
us !  Suppose,  my  Brethren,  some  terrible  danger  threatened  our 
lives, — an  immense  conflagration,  a  frightful  earthquake,  or  a  vast 
inundation.  What  fear,  what  awe,  what  dread  would  it  not  cause 
in  us  ?  But  suppose  that  there  comes  a  man  who  with  authority 
controls  the  fire,  the  sea  and  the  elements ;  who  delivers  us  from 
death  and  saves  us ;  who  even  does  more,  for  he  not  only  preserves 
us,  but  he  heaps  favors  and  riches x upon  us;  beyond  all  doubt  we 
would  love  this  generous  benefactor,  we  would  even  kiss  his  foot- 
prints !  Well,  my  Brethren,  this  man  so  worthy  of  our  love,  is 
but  a  faint  image  of  our  divine  Saviour. 

We  had  sinned  in  Adam,  were  children  of  wrath,  heaven  was 
closed  against  us  ;  we  should  have  passed  from  this  vale  of  tears  into 
eternal  woe,  for  we  had  violated  the  law  of  God,  and  were  incapable 
of  making  satisfaction  to  His  infinite  justice.  But  God  loved  us, 
and  He  sent  among  us  His  only  begotten  Son,  in  whom  He  was 
well  pleased.  This  divine  Emmanuel  came,  clothed  Himself  with 
our  nature,  was  loaded  with  our  iniquities,  and  blotted  them  out  by 
dying  for  us  on  the  cross.  We  should  have  been  lost,  but  Jesus 
has  saved  us ;  we  should  have  been  utterly  abandoned,  and  held  in 
bondage  by  the  devil;  we  should  have  eternally  suffered  in  the 
gloomy  dungeons  of  hell ;  but  Jesus  has  restored  us  to  the  friend- 
ship of  His  Father, — He  has  made  us  children  of  God  and  heirs  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

No,   my  Brethren,   we  will  no   longer  be   ungrateful;    we  will 


70  SHOUT   SERMONS. 

delight  to  recall  to  mind  the  blessings  which  our  bountiful  Saviour 
has  conferred  upon  us.  But  if  gratitude  reign  in  our  hearts,  must 
it  not  show  itself  in  all  our  conduct, — in  our  whole  lives  ?  There 
is  no  one  among  us  who  can  not  sometimes  say :  be  Thou  blessed, 
O  my  Jesus,  because  Thou  hast  redeemed  me,  because  Thou  hast 
saved  me !  But  it  is  not  words  that  the  Saviour  asks  of  us, — He 
wishes  to  have  holy  works, — worthy  fruits  of  gratitude,  and  this  is 
the  only  means  by  which  we  can  be  saved.  No  doubt,  our  divine 
Lord  renders  salvation  possible,  even  easy  for  us,  but,  to  obtain  it, 
we  must  cooperate  with  the  graces  which  the  adorable  sacrifice  of 
the  cross  has  merited  for  us ;  we  must  render  ourselves  worthy  of 
this  great  blessing  by  constantly  doing  the  will  of  God.  Woe  be 
to  us,  if  at  the  end  of  our  lives  it  be  found  that  we  have  not 
profited  by  the  blessings  which  the  Saviour  brought  us  in  abundance, 
and  if  we  be  found  wanting  in  gratitude  and  fidelity  toward  our  best 
friend  and  greatest  benefactor,  who  has  done  every  thing  that  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  do,  to  gain  our  love  and  win  our  hearts. 

If  the  most  powerful  monarch  in  the  world  were  to  descend  from 
his  throne  and  come  to  dwell  among  his  subjects ;  were  he  to  seek 
out  by  preference  the  poorest ;  to  speak  to  them  with  benignity ;  to 
sit  at  their  table,  eat  of  their  bread ;  wish  to  be  accounted  their 
friend,  their  brother;  and  beg  them  to  bestow  upon  him.  these 
endearing  names  ;  who  would  not  love  this  good  king  ?  Who 
would  not  be  devoted  to  him,  in  life  and  in  death  ?  My  Brethren, 
what  is  this  compared  with  all  the  King  of  heaven  has  done  for 
us  ?  The  Word  was  God,  and  the  Word  made  Himself  flesh,  and 
came  to  dwell  among  us,  poor  sinners;  He  was  rich,  says  the 
Apostle,  and  He  made  himself  poor,  to  enrich  us;  He  chose  to  be  born 
of  poor  parents,  in  an  old,  decayed  stable  ;  the  first  men  from  whom 
He  condescended  to  receive  homage  were  poor  shepherds ;  for  thirty 
years  He  lived  in  the  house  of  a  poor  carpenter,  and  was  occupied 
at  the  trade  of  His  foster-father ;  He  afterward  had  no  place  whereon 
to  rest  His  head,  and  He  lived  only  on  the  alms  which  some  pious 
souls  placed  in  the  hands  of  His  disciples ;  at  last,  for  us  He  became 
the  Man  of  Sorrows,  died  on  the  cross,  shedding  even  the  last  drop 
of  His  blood  ;  but  not  until  He  had  instituted  the  adorable  sacra- 
ment of  his  love, — the  divine  Eucharist;  for  He  wished  to  remain 
among  those  whom  He  loves,  all  davs,  even  to  the  end  of  time,  to 


THE   INFANT    SAVIOUR.  71 

be  their  consolation  and  their  strength.  Yes,  my  God,  Thou  didst 
love  us  to  the  end, — even  to  excess. 

My  Brethren,  love  demands  love ;  love  then  your  divine  Saviour, 
who  has  so  much  loved  you !  Remember  the  consoling  promise 
He  has  made  us:  "If  you  love,"  He  says,  "I  will  come  to  take 
up  my  abode  in  you."  But  let  us  also  remember  that  He  requires 
that  we  should  prove  the  sincerity  of  our  love  by  keeping  His 
commandments  faithfully :  "  He  that  loves  me,  keeps  my  command- 
ments." 

Divine  Jesus,  Thou  art  the  Son  of  the  Most  High,  Thou  art  our 
Lord,  our  God :  from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts  we  adore  Thee,  and 
lay  at  Thy  feet  our  solemn  promise  of  remaining  ever  faithful  to 
Thee,  of  obeying  Thy  divine  word,  and  of  walking  constantly  in 
the  ways  of  Thy  commandments.  Thou  art  our  Saviour;  Thou 
hast  died  to  save  us  from  eternal  death  ;  Thou  hast  blotted  out 
sin  and  broken  down  the  walls  that  stood  between  us  and  God ; 
Thou  hast  opened  the  gates  of  heaven  for  us.  Be  Thou  then 
praised,  O  sweet  Jesus,  forever  and  ever!  0  bountiful  God, 
how  much  hast  Thou  loved  us !  And  how  have  we  repaid  Thy 
love  ?  We  have  spent  many  years  in  lukewarmness,  in  sin  and  in 
impenitence,  lost  in  the  pursuit  of  earthly  things,  and  forgetful  of 
heaven,  of  the  glorious  paradise  to  which  Thou  invitest  us^  and 
where  Thou  awaitest  us.  Pardon,  0  my  Saviour,  pardon  us,  that 
we  begin  so  late  to  love  Thee.  Grant  that  the  merits  of  Thy  suf- 
ferings and  Thy  death  may  not  be  lost  in  our  regard.  Be  our  guide, 
our  support,  and  our  strength,  that  nothing  may  be  able  to  separate 
us  from  Thee,  who  art  the  truth  we  must  hear,  the  way  we  must 
follow,  and  the  life  wherewith  we  must  be  animated,  if  we  would 
enjoy  the  life  and  the  happiness  of  heaven. — AMEN. 


72  SHORT   SERMONS. 

SERMON  XIII. 

FOURTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

LIFE  OF  OUR  DIVINE   SAVIOUR. 


"Who hath  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood." — APOC- 
ALYPSE, i :  5. 

THE  heavens  have  diffused  their  sweet  dews,  and  the  clouds  rained 
down  the  Just  One.  The  earth  has  opened  its  bosom  and  given 
birth  to"  the  Saviour.  Jesus,  the  divine  Eedeemer  promised  to  the 
world  when  our  first  parent  sinned,  has  just  been  born.  Angels 
announce  to  the  poor  the  miraculous  birth  of  the  Messias ;  kings 
come  from  the  East,  prostrate  themselves  at  His  feet  and  adore  Him. 
But,  behold  another  king,  a  cruel  tyrant  seeks  to  put  Him  to  death  : 
the  God  made  man  takes  refuge  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  lives 
in  obscurity,  until  He  has  attained  His  thirtieth  year.  At  length 
the  important  time  foretold  by  the  prophet,  had  come,  when  the 
divine  Saviour  was  to  commence  His  heavenly  mission,  to  preach 
forgiveness  of  sins,  to  invite  all  men  to  repentance,  to  overturn  the 
empire  of  Satan,  and  to  immolate  himself  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world.  I  would  gladly  lay  before  you  the  entire  life  of  Jesus,  but 
I  must  content  myself  with  recalling  to  your  minds  some  of  its 
principal  events.  Be  sure  that  you  attend  well  to  what  I  say. 
Jesus  leaves  His  retreat,  quits  His  humble  abode  at  Nazareth,  comes 
to  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  enters  the  river,  and  requests  John  to 
pour  on  His  head  the  waters  of  baptism.  My  Brethren,  Jesus  did 
not  require  the  baptism  of  penance,  which  John  gave ;  He  was  not 
obliged  to  do  those  penitential  acts ;  He  who  had  come  to  blot  out 
the  sins  of  the  world,  could  not  be  himself  stained  with  sin.  He 
was  the  pure  and  spotless  Lamb,  and  if  He  chose  to  receive  the 
baptism  of  John,  it  was  to  leave  us  a  noble  example  of  humility, 
and  to  sanctify  the  water,  which  was  afterward  to  efface,  in  reality, 
our  sins  in  the  sacrament  of  baptism.  Yes,  Jesus  humbled  himself, 


LIFE   OF' OUR   DIVINE   SAVIOUR.  73 

on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  but  His  Father  hastened  to  glorify 
Him.  The  heavens  open ;  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  form  of  a  dove, 
descends  on  our  divine  Saviour ;  and  a  voice,  the  voice  of  God,  the 
Father,  is  heard  from  the  highest  heavens,  saying  :  "  Thou  art  my 
beloved  Son  ;  in  Thee  I  am  well  pleased."*  Jesus  leaves  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan,  goes  into  the  desert,  fasts  for  forty  days  and  forty 
nights,  and  afterward  permits  the  devil  to  tempt  Him.  In  vain 
does  the  infernal  spirit  exert  all  his  malice,  employ  all  his  wicked- 
ness, and  call  in  action  all  his  cunning  :  he  prevails  not  over  the 
spirit  and  heart  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  who  was  soon  to  crush 
this  serpent's  head.  But  this  temptation  which  Jesus  suffered  in  the 
desert,  on  the  eve  of  undertaking  His  divine  mission,  proclaims 
loudly  to  us  that  we  must  be  on  our  guard  against  the  artifices  of 
the  devil,  and  watch  over  ourselves,  lest  we  be  surprised  by  Satan, 
who  did  not  fear  attacking  even  the  Holy  of  Holies ! 

Jesus  comes  forth  from  the  desert  and  declares  that  He  is  the 
Messias  promised  to  men;  He  travels  through  villages,  market- 
places and  cities  ;  He  preaches  in  the  temple,  on  the  highways,  on 
the  sea-shore ;  He  reveals  to  the  people  those  sublime  truths  which 
are  the  object  of  our  faith ;  streams  of  enchanting  eloquence  flow 
from  His  divine  lips ;  He  speaks  with  authority,  He  speaks  as  no 
man  ever  spoke  before;  He  shows  us,  that  in  God,  we  have  a 
Father,  in  other  men,  brothers ;  He  demonstrates  clearly  the  no- 
thingness of  the  things  of  this  world ;  He  tells  us  the  importance 
of  salvation,  the  value  of  heavenly  things,  the  happiness  of  the 
elect,  and  how  we  may  attain  that  happiness ;  He  teaches  us  to  sub- 
mit our  minds  and  hearts  to  the  word  and  the  will  of  God ;  to  sub- 
due our  passions,  to  practice  virtue ;  and  to  support  the  truth  of  His 
words  He  works  the  most  wonderful  prodigies,  evidences  indeed  of 
His  omnipotence,  but  no  less  proofs  of  His  goodness.  He  speaks, 
and  His  word  puts  to  flight  the  whole  train  of  evils  that  afflict  us. 
He  speaks,  and  fever,  leprosy,  and  all  infirmities  disappear.  He 
speaks,  and  the  blind  see,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dumb  speak.  He 
speaks,  and  the  devil  retreats  in  shame  and  confusion.  He  speaks, 
and  the  grave  gives  up  its  victims,  and  the  dead  come  to  life. 

While  performing  these  wonders,  Jesus  at  the  same  time  pre- 

*  St.  Luke,  iii :  22. 


74  SHORT    SERMONS. 

sents  himself  to  the  world,  as  the  most  perfect  model  of  the  most 
exalted  virtues !     Yes,  divine  Jesus,  you  alone  can  say:   "I  came 
that  you  may  have  a  model."     Jesus  was  humble :  I  came,  says  he, 
to  serve,  and  not  to  be  served.     Often  did  He  forbid  the  miracles 
He  wrought  to  be  published,  and  he  imposed  silence  on  the  demons, 
who  were  forced  to  cry  out  that  He  was  truly  the  Son  of  God.     In 
a  transport  of  admiration,  the  people  were  about  to  make  Him  their 
king,  and  Jesus  retires  and  hides  himself  from  their  pressing  solici- 
tation.    He  asks  not  His  own  glory,  but  that  of  His  Father.     Jesus 
was  meek  and  bountiful, — He  rejected,  He  repulsed  no  one.     The 
Apostles  wished  to  drive  away  the  little  children  that  were  brought 
to   Him-  for  His  blessing,   and  He  said  to  them :   "  Suffer  the  little 
children,  and  forbid  them  not  to  come  unto  me  ;  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  for  such ;  .  . .  unless  you  be  converted,  and  become  as  little 
children,  you  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."     Two 
of  His  disciples  ask  that  fire  should  come  from  the  heavens,  to  destroy 
a  city  which  had  refused  to  receive  Him.     You  know  not,  He  says 
to  them,  of  what  spirit  you  are ;  I  came  not  to  destroy  men,  but 
to  save  them.     When  they  sought  to  make  Him  pronounce  sen- 
tence of  death  against  the  Avoman   taken   in  adultery;    "he  that 
is  without  sin  among  you,"  He  says,  "let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at 
her."     He  bore  with  patience  the  rudeness  of  the  Apostles,  and  the 
importunities  of  the  sick.     What  do  I  say  ?     He  invited  them  to 
Him.     "  Come,"  He  says,  "come  all  you  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,   and  I  will   refresh   you."     Jesus  was  tender  and   full    of 
compassion.     He  wept  for  the  death  of  Lazarus,  His  friend  ;  He 
shed  tears  over   Jerusalem,  and  beholding  that   unfortunate  city, 
He  exclaimed  :  "  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  together  thy  children,  as  the  hen  gathereth  her  chickens 
under  her  wings,  and  thou  wouldst  not !"     He  beheld  the  tears  of 
the  poor  widow  of  Nain,  and  hastened  to  console  her  by  restoring 
her  dead  son  to  life.     He  received  with  benignity  the  sinners  who 
desired  to  turn  from  their  evil  ways,  and  He  rebuked  only  those  who 
were  hardened  in  vice ;    therefore  it  was   that  He   denounced   so 
severely  tfye  proud  Pharisee  and  the  hypocritical  doctor  of  the  law. 
His  sole  business  was  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  men  ;  and 
He  frequently  spent  whole  nights  in  prayer,  after  having  employed 
*he  day  in  doing  good  to  all,  in  glorifying  His  Father,  extolling  the 


LIFE   OF   OUR  DIVINE   SAVIOUR.  75 

happiness  of  seeing  and  of  loving  Him,  and  in  traveling  about,  on 
foot,  under  the  burning  rays  of  a  scorching  sun,  in  quest  of  His  lost 
sheep.  He  was,  in  truth,  the  good  shepherd,  who  laid  down  His 
life  for  His  flock.  He  lived  in  great  poverty,  and  well  might  He 
say  to  the  Jews :  "The  birds  of  the  air  have  their  nests,  and  the  fox 
its  den,  but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  whereon  to  lay  His  head."  O 
Son  of  God,  Master,  and  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  Thou  wast 
rich,  and  Thou  hast  made  Thyself  poor,  to  teach  us  that  there  are 
no  true  riches,  but  the  riches  of  eternity ;  and  that  all  the  wealth  of 
this  earth  is  nothing  but  vanity.  Thou  hast  said :  "  Woe  to  the 
rich  !  blessed  are  the  poor !"  because  Thou  wouldst  have  us  know 
that  riches  too  frequently  are  the  fatal  thorns  which  stifle  in  our 
hearts  the  good  seeds  of  salvation. 

Behold,  my  Brethren,  what  the  life  our  divine  Saviour  was  while 
on  earth:  "He  spent  it  doing  good."  How  different  from  the  con- 
queror, who  estimates  his  days  by  his  victories,  that  is  to  say,  by 
the  evils  which  he  causes  and  the  sorrow  he  increases  ; — Jesus,  on 
the  contrary,  the  meekest  of  the  children  of  men,  reckons  his  days 
by  His  blessings.  In  the  towns,  the  market-places  and  the  cities, 
there  are  no  blind,  nor  sick,  nor  lepers,  because  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
hath  passed  that  way.  Yes,  He  is  the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  He 
manifested  His  divinity  as  the  Divinity  is  accustomed  to  manifest 
itself  by  acts  of  patience,  of  charity,  and  of  love ;  and  yet  notwith- 
standing all  His  blessings  and  wonderful  virtues,  He  was  hated  by 
the  world,  by  those  corrupt  men  to  whom  He  declared  the .  truth 
which  condemned  them.  Some  of  them,  carnal  men,  who  expected 
a  Messias  who  should  subdue  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  his  empire, 
would  not  acknowledge  the  Saviour  of  Israel,  in  the  person  of  the 
poor  and  humble  Jesus,  whom  they  called  with  contempt,  "  the  son 
of  the  carpenter."  Others,  and  above  all,  the  Scribes,  the  Pharisees, 
the  priests  and  the  senators  persecuted  Him,  calumniated  Him,  and 
despised  Him,  because  He  censured  their  pride,  their  avarice,  their 
hypocrisy,  and  the  numberless  other  vices  which  made  these  men 
like  whited  sepulchres,  fair  indeed  without,  but  within,  full  of  dead 
mens'  bones  and  of  all  corruption.  They  hated  Jesus,  and  yet  they 
had  nothing  wherewith  to  reproach  Him,  for  they  observed  silence 
when  he  publicly  challenged  them  to  convict  Him  of  sin.  Often 
did  they  try  to  surprise  Him  in  His  words,  but  in  vain  ;  He  always 


76  SHORT    SERMONS. 

detected  their  malice  and  ignorance,  and  confounded  them  by  His 
answers.  When  the  true  Israelites, — whose  hearts  were  right, — at 
sight  of  Jesus  exclaimed :  Blessed  is  He  who  conies  to  us  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  the  hatred  of  the  wicked,  on  hearing  those 
praises  and  acclamations,  knew  no  bounds,  and  they  resolved  to  put 
to  death,  the  Just  One,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  the  Son  of  God. 
I  will  speak  to  you,  in  our  next  instruction,  of  the  chalice  of  sorrows 
which  our  divine  Saviour  was  compelled  to  drink,  even  to  the  dregs. 
I  conclude,  my  Brethren,  by  repeating  to  you  the  words  which 
our  Saviour  addressed  to  His  disciples:  "I  come,  that  you  might 
have  a  model."  Yes,  Jesus  came  to  redeem  us  and  to  be  our  model. 
Let  us  therefore  act,  let  us  always  conduct  ourselves,  in,a  manner 
conformable  to  that  which  this  good  Master  has  taught  us.  He  was 
humble,  meek,  patient  and  charitable ;  let  us  therefore  be  humble, 
meek,  patient  and  charitable.  He  labored  for  His  Father's  glory  in 
procuring  our  salvation;  let  us  cooperate  with  the  glory  of  God 
by  advancing  in  the  practice  of  good  works,  and  let  us  do  this  with 
the  more  zeal  and  perseverance,  as  it  is  only  by  following  this  path, 
that  we  can  arrive  at  heaven,  where  Jesus  our  Saviour  reigns,  to 
whom  be  all  glory,  honor  and  power  forever  and  ever. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XIY. 

FOURTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

SUFFERINGS  OF  JESUS  CHRIST. 


"  He  was  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross." — PHILIPPIANS,  ii :  8 

"  AND  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us :  and  we 
saw  His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father."* 
He  came  to  recall  us  from  the  ways  of  error, — to  reestablish  us  in 

*  St.  John,  i :  14. 


SUFFERINGS    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  77 

the  path  of  truth.  He  has  made  known  to  us  the  God  of  heaven, 
and  in  our  God  He  has  revealed  to  us  a  Father  and  the  most  ten- 
der of  Fathers.  He  showed  us  the  worship  we  ought  to  pay  to 
God,  that  of  the  spirit  and  of  the  heart.  He  revealed  to  us  the 
sublime  destiny  which  awaits  us  in  eternity ;  that  immortal  life, 
filled  with  inexpressible  delights,  when  we  shall  see  God  face  to  face, 
such  as  He  is  in  himself,  and  to  which  we  can  attain  by  the  practice 
of  the  truths  which  He  taught  and  of  the  precepts  He  imposed. 
To  confirm  the  truth  of  His  heavenly  doctrine,  Jesus  performed 
great  miracles,  prodigies  of  His  power,  and  still  more  prodigies  of 
charity  and  mercy.  He  was  the  most  amiable,  the  meekest,  the 
holiest  of  the  children  of  men,  and  yet  He  had  enemies.  To-day, 
I  will  speak  to  you  of  the  chalice  of  sorrows  which  they  made  Him 
drink,  even  to  the  dregs. 

Jesus  Christ  had  foretold  to  His  Apostles  that  He  would  be  deliv- 
ered into  the  hands  of  wicked  men, — the  scribes  and  chief  priests ; 
that  they  would  pronounce  against  Him  the  sentence  of  death; 
that  He  would  be  contemned  and  mocked,  scourged  and  crucified. 
The  time  has  now  come  when  this  divine  Saviour  is  about  to  con- 
summate His  sacrifice,  and  to  lay  down  His  life  for  the  salvation  of 
the  world.  Accompanied  by  His  Apostles,  He  proceeds  to  the 
place  wherein  He  had  appointed  to  take  His  last  supper,  and  eat 
His  last  passover  with  them.  Before,  however,  He  would  depart 
out  of  this  life,  He  wished  to  leave  them  the  most  precious  pledge 
of  His  love  and  tenderness, — He  desired  to  institute  the  adorable 
sacrament  of  His  body  and  blood.  He  then  "  took  bread,  and 
blessed,  and  broke,  and  gave  it  to  His  disciples,  and  said:  Take 
ye  and  eat:  this  is  my  body  which  is  given  for  you.  .  .  .  And 
taking  the  chalice,  He  gave  thanks ;  and  gave  it  to  them  saying : 
Drink  ye  all  of  this,  for  this  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testament, 
which  shall  be  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins.  Do  this  in 
commemoration  of  me."*  Many  more  things  He  said  with  the 
the  most  tender  affection  to  His  dear  disciples.  Seeing  them  op- 
pressed by  a  weight  of  sadness,  He  consoled  them,  by  promising 
not  to  leave  them  orphans,  and  to  send  them  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
would  be  with  them  all  days,  and  would  make  them  understand  all 

*  St.  Matthew,  xxvi,— St.  Luke,  xxii. 


78  SHORT   SERMONS. 

that  He  had  taught  them.  He  recommended  them  to  the  all-power- 
ful protection  of  His  Father,  whom  He  besought  with  all  His  soul 
to  preserve  them,  to  defend  them  against  the  temptations  of  the 
enemy,  to  maintain  among  them  perfect  union  of  hearts,  to  the  end 
that  not  one  of  them  might  be  lost,  but  that  all  might  be  with  Him 
in  the  eternal  happiness  of  heaven.  We  can  not  doubt,  my  Breth- 
ren, that  it  was  not  for  the  Apostles  alone  our  bountiful  Saviour 
addressed  this  fervent  prayer  to  His  heavenly  Father,  but  also  for 
us,  who,  converted  by  their  preaching,  have  had  the  happiness  of 
being  called  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  through  the  grace  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Having  sung  a  hymn,  Jesus  went  with  His  Apostles  to  the 
mount  of  Olives,  where  He  was  accustomed  to  pray.  Here  He 
represented  to  Himself  all  He  was  about  to  suffer,  during  His  pain- 
ful passion,  and  giving  way  to  the  feelings  of  nature,  was  seized 
with  fear  and  excessive  sadness.  Thrice  did  He  prostrate  himself 
on  the  ground,  and  pray:  My  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this 
chalice  pass  away  from  me ;  yet  not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wilt. 
A  bloody  sweat  flows  in  large  drops  from  every  part  of  His  body 
to  the  earth,  while  reduced  almost  to  His  agony,  Jesus  but  perseveres 
the  more  in  prayer.  Then  an  angel  from  heaven  appeared  to 
strengthen  Him :  rising  up,  Jesus  went  to  His  disciples  and  said  to 
them :  "  Watch  ye,  and  pray  that  you  enter  not  into  temptation. 
Behold,  he  is  at  hand  that  will  betray  me."  As  He  yet  spoke, 
Judas,  whom  the  money  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  had  seduced, 
and  who  betrayed  His  divine  Master,  arrived,  followed  by  a  large 
body  of  soldiers.  But  Jesus,  knowing  all  that  was  about  to  happen, 
said  to  them :  "  Whom  seek  ye  ?  they  answered,  Jesus  of  Nazareth : 
Jesus  says  to  them,  I  am  He ;  at  which  word  they  all  immediately 
went  back  and  fell  to  the  ground."  No  doubt,  my  Brethren,  the 
Son  of  God  could  have  escaped  the  fury  of  His  enemies,  for  a  word 
from  His  mouth  was  enough  to  prostrate  them  to  the  earth ;  but 
He  loved  us,  He  wished  to  save  us,  and  to  reconcile  us  to  His  Father, 
He  chose  to  die.  Hence  He  permitted  His  enemies  to  seize  His 
divine  person,  to  load  Him  with  chains,  to  drag  Him,  as  a  vile 
criminal,  before  the  tribunal  of  the  high-priest,  Caiphas.  Lying 
witnesses  accused  Him,  and  He  spoke  not.  But  when  the  high- 
priest  bid  Him,  in  the  name  of  the  living  God,  say,  whether  He 


S  U  F  F  K  K  I  N  G  S    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  79 

was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  He  immediately  answered:  "Thou 
hast  said  it.  '  Nevertheless  I  say  to  you,  hereafter  you  shall  see  the 
Son  of  man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  the  power  of  God,  and  coming 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven."*  At  the  same  time,  the  high-priest  rent 
his  garments,  saying  :  He  hath  blasphemed ;  what  further  need 
have  we  of  witnesses.  And  they  all  cried  out,  He  is  guilty  of 
death.  Our  divine  Lord  was  then  delivered  up  to  insolent  wretches, 
who  spit  in  His  face,  beat  Him  with  their  fists  and  buffetted  Him, 
saying,  prophesy  unto  us,  0  Christ :  who  is  it  that  struck  Thee  ? 
The  next  day  He  was  conducted  to  the  house  of  Pontius  Pilate,  at 
that  time  the  Roman  governor  of  Judea.  Calumny  was  the  weapon 
employed  by  the  enemies  of  Jesus,  and  here  they  made  a  horrible 
use  of  it,  for  they  durst  accuse  the  God  of  Sanctity  of  being 
a  rebel  to  authority,  and  of  having  excited  the  people  to  sedition. 
Pilate  discovered  in  the  malignity  of  their  accusations  the  shameful 
motive  which  actuated  them.  He  perceived  that  all  these  charges 
were  but  the  offspring  of  envy  and  hatred ;  yet  weak  man  as  he  was, 
he  had  not  the  courage  to  confound  calumny  and  vindicate  oppressed 
innocence.  Nevertheless  he  desired  to  rescue  Jesus  from  the  death 
to  which  the  Jews  clamorously  sought  to  make  him  condemn  Him. 
He  caused  Him,  therefore,  to  be  scourged,  a  crown  of  thorns  fastened 
on  His  head,  an  old  purple  robe  to  be  thrown  on  His  shoulders,  in 
His  hand  a  reed  to  be  placed  as  a  scepter,  and  thus  arrayed,  he 
exhibited  Him  to  the  people,  hoping  that  the  sight  of  Jesus  reduced 
to  this  sad  state,  would  excite  their  compassion.  Vain  hope !  the 
criminal  and  cowardly  expedient  saved  not  the  innocent.  With 
greater  fury  did  the  Jews  cry  out :  Crucify  Him !  Crucify  Him ! 
Let  His  blood  be  upon  us  and  upon  our  children  !  And  Pilate 
gave  up  Jesus  to  them  to  be  crucified.  To  die  on  the  cross  was  the 
most  painful  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  disgraceful  of  punish- 
ments: none  were  condemned  to  this  death  but  slaves,  assassins 
and  highway  robbers.  Hardly  had  the  sentence  of  death  been  pro- 
nounced, than  the  Jews  placed  upon  the  shoulders  of  our  divine 
Redeemer  the  heavy  cross  on  which  He  was  to  suffer.  Like  another 
Isaac,  He  bore  to  the  summit  of  Calvary  the  wood,  on  which  He 
was  to  immolate  himself  as  a  holocaust.  The  executioners  extended 

*  St.  Matthew,  xxxvi :  64. 


80  SHORT    S  E  K  M  O  N  8  . 

Him  on  the  cross,  drove  large  nails  into  His  hands  and  feet,  and  to 
outrage  Him  still  more,  they  crucified  Him  between  two  thieves. 
For  many  hours  Jesus  Christ  remained  suspended  on  the  cross,  a 
prey  to  the  most  excruciating  pains,  and  exposed  to  the  blasphe- 
mous insults  of  the  wicked  and  abandoned  crowd  by  which  He  was 
surrounded.  At. last,  crying  out  with  a  loud  voice,  He  said:  My 
Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit.  And  bowing  down 
His  head  He  expired.  To  assure  themselves  of  His  death,  a  soldier 
pierced  His  side  with  a  lance,  and  immediately  there  issued  from  it 
blood  and  water.  Then  Joseph  of  Arimathea  hastening  to  the  house 
of  Pilate,  asked  and  obtained  permission  to  bury  the  body  of  Jesus. 
Aided  by  Nicodemus,  a  doctor  of  the  law  and  a  secret  disciple  of 
the  Saviour,  he  took  down  Jesus  from  His  cross,  and  having  wrap- 
ped His  body  in  a  winding  sheet,  consigned  it  to  a  tomb,  in  which 
no  one  had  been  placed  before.  The  chief  priests  and  Pharisees 
did  not  forget  that  our  Lord  had  foretold  that  He  would  rise  again 
from  the  dead  on  the  third  day.  To  falsify  this  prophecy  they  went 
to  the  sepulchre,  carefully  closed  it,  and  setting  their  seal  on  the 
stone,  placed  a  body  of  soldiers  there  to  guard  it.  All  was  con- 
summated ;  the  Scriptures  were  fulfilled :  the  Just  One  was  put  to 
death, — the  devil  was  vanquished,  the  justice  of  God  was  satisfied, 
man  was  restored  to  the  friendship  of  his  Maker,  heaven  was  open- 
ed, and  it  was  now  possible  for  man  to  attain  it,  for  Jesus,  the  Son 
of  God,  had  died  for  us  on  the  cross. 

Oh !  how  great  and  how  terrible  must  be  the  injury  offered  to  God 
by  mortal  sin,  since,  to  expiate  it,  He  willed  that  His  only  Son 
should  suffer  such  excruciating  tortures  !  How  great  was  the  love  of 
Jesus  for  men  !  For  us,  my  Brethren,  to  cleanse  us  from  our  sins,  He 
suffered  so  much !  He  suffered  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross  ! 

My  Brethren,  let  us  never  cease  to  love  this  bountiful  Saviour, 
who  has  so  tenderly  loved  us.  And  let  us  never  commit  sin,  for  it 
is  the  origin  of  all  our  evils,  and  the  cause  of  all  the  sufferings  of  the 
Son  of  God.  He  that  commits  sin  becomes  the  slave  of  sin,  and 
hates  his  own  soul, — that  soul  so  precious,  to  redeem  which,  the 
Son  of  God  did  not  think  it  too  much  to  shed  the  last  drop  of  His 
blood !  Whenever,  then,  temptation  assails  you,  whenever  you 
perceive  that  sin  is  about  to  enter  your  heart,  cast  a  glance  at  your 
Saviour,  dying  on  His  cross,  and  say  to  yourselves :  "Ah!  Jesus 


RESURRECTION    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  81 

Christ  died  on  the  cross  for  me, — to  wash  out  my  iniquities,  and 
cleanse  me  from  my  sins.  How  can  I  offend  Him  again,  and  be  so 
ungrateful,  and  at  the  same  time  so  senseless,  as  to  lose  the  fruits  of 
the  sufferings  and  the  death  of  my  God !  No,  I  will  rather  die, 
than  sin  again :  death  in  this  case  will  be  to  me  a  great  gain ;  it 
will  be  the  beginning  of  life, — of  eternal  life, — when  I  shall  see  and 
adore  my  Saviour  and  my  God  for  endless  ages."  Yes,  my  Breth- 
ren, in  times  of  temptation  call  to  mind  what  your  soul  has  cost, — 
the  blood  of  a  God ;  see  the  enormity  of  sin, — it  nails  Jesus  to  the 
cross,  it  crucifies  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God.  There  was  needed 
the  blood  of  a  God  to  open  heaven  for  you,  and  mortal  sin  would 
close  it  against  you  once  more.  Be  you  then  faithful, — sin  no  more, 
and  God  will  be  your  reward  exceedingly  great  for  all  eternity. — 
AMEN. 


SERMON  XV. 

FIFTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

RESURRECTION  OF  JESUS   CHRIST 


"He  descended  into  hell  ;  the  third  day  He  rose  again  from  the  dead." — APOS- 
TLKS'  CREED. 

HAVING  spent  on  this  earth  about  thirty  years  of  a  most  pure 
and  holy  life,  replete  with  every  good  work,  Jesus  our  Saviour, 
became  a  victim  of  the  envy  and  hatred  of  the  Jews,  suffered  the 
most  painful  and  excruciating  torments  at  their  hands,  and  at  last 
died  on  a  cross  between  two  thieves.  He  gave  His  life  to  redeem 
us  from  eternal  death  ;  He  died  because  He  loved  us.  Behold,  my 
Brethren,  the  grand  and  consoling  truths  which  made  the  subject  of 
our  last  instruction.  To-day  I  intend  to  explain  the  fifth  article  of 
the  Apostles'  Creed  :  "He  descended  into  hell;  the  third  day  He 
rose  again  from  the  dead."  Be  attentive,  I  beg  of  you.  When  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  died  on  the  cross,  His  soul  was  separated  from 


82  SHORT    SERMONS. 

His  body,  but  the  divinity  remained  united  to  both.  The  body  was 
placed  in  a  tomb,  and  the  soul  descended  into  hell.  What  is  this 
place  which  the  Scriptures  designate  by  the  name  of  hell,  to  which 
the  Son  of  God  descended  after  His  death  ?  It  signifies  what  the 
word  expresses,  namely,  that  it  is  a  lower  place  and  under  the  earth : 
It  is  in  "  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth."*  To  this  place  it  was,  as 
St.  Paul  teaches  us  in  express  terms,  that  our  loving  Lord  did  not 
disdain  to  descend,  before  He  ascended  into  heaven  and  took  pos- 
session of  His  glory. 

But  there  are  three  subterraneous  abodes,  to  which  the  souls  of 
men  descended  who  died  before  the  coming  of  the  Christ.  Now, 
which  of  those  three  was  it  that  was  rilled  with  joy  at  His  divine 
presence  ?  Did  He  go  into  the  hell  of  the  damned, — into  that  dark 
and  hideous  prison,  where  the  wicked  are  buried,  and  where  they 
must  forever  endure  the  torments  they  have  deserved  ?  It  was 
not  to  this  abode  of  darkness  and  of  horrors,  that  our  divine  Re- 
deemer went ;  surely  not ;  the  Son  of  God  did  not  descend  into 
those  frightful  dungeons,  where  all  order  is  overturned,  and  from 
which  there  is  no  redemption.  The  second  hell  is  purgatory, — an 
abode  of  pains  and  sufferings,  but  of  temporal  and  transitory  pains. 
There  the  souls  of  the  just,  stained  with  even  the  slightest  imper- 
fection, are  cleansed,  like  gold  in  the  crucible,  until  they  are  entirely 
purified.  But  it  was  not  either  to  this  place  that  our  divine  Lord 
went.  And  why  ?  because,  though  these  souls  were  dear  to  Jesus, 
for  they  were  holy,  nevertheless,  they  were  not  yet  purified  and 
holy  enough  to  be  found  worthy  of  enjoying  the  vision  and  presence 
of  their  God.  The  third  subterraneous  abode  which  the  Scriptures 
call  by  the  name  of  hell,  is  Limbo.  Here  it  was  that  the  just  and 
the  saints  of  the  Old  Testament,  who  died  before  the  coming  of 
Jesus  Christ,  were  detained  until  He  had  opened  the  gates  of 
heaven  for  them.  For  before  the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ,  heaven 
was  closed  to  men,  and  Jesus  alone  by  His  death  could  open  it  for 
them.  Not  Abel  the  just,  nor  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faithful, 
nor  the  Patriarchs  could  be  admitted.  Not  Moses,  the  mediator  of 
the  old  law ;  nor  Job,  who  according  to  the  judgment  of  God  him- 
self, had  not  his  equal  on  earth ;  nor  John  the  Baptist,  the  greatest 

*  Ephesians,  iv  :  9. 


RESURRECTION    O  F    J  E  S  US    C  II  R  1ST  .  83 

of  the  children  of  men ;  in  a  word,  no  one  could  attain  the  glory 
o'f  heaven,  before  the  Son  of  God  had  opened  the  way  by  His  death. 

Limbo  was  a  place  of  rest,  but  yet  a  place  of  incomplete  rest;  for 
complete  rest  can  be  enjoyed  only  in  the  bosom  and  possession  of 
God.  It  was  a  place  of  light,  but  of  light  not  yet  perfect ;  this  can 
only  be  found  in  the  vision  of  God.  It  was  a  paradise,  compared 
to  the  hell  of  the  damned ;  for,  if  they  did  not  as  yet  possess  God, 
at  least  they  had  a  full  assurance  of  one  day  possessing  Him ;  and 
Job  could  there  repeat  to  the  other  holy  souls  :  "I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  in  my  flesh  and  with  my  eyes  I  will  see 
Him."  It  was  here,  indeed,  that  the  Saviour  of  the  world  descended 
after  His  death,  to  console  those  souls  so  holy,  and  so  dear  to  His 
heart.  How  great  the  joy  which  must  have  filled  the  hearts  of 
these  saints,  when  at  last  they  saw  appear  their  divine  Liberator, 
Him  whom  they  had  so  long  expected  ;  Him,  by  faith  in  whom  they 
had  wrought  out  their  salvation,  the  hope  of  whose  coming  was 
their  only  consolation,  whose  morning  dawn  had  been  seen  by  some 
among  them,  and  through  them  announced  to  the  world !  Yes, 
deep  and  very  great  was  their  joy ;  profound  their  gratitude,  when 
they  beheld  this  bountiful  Saviour,  who,  not  content  with  giving 
His  life  for  them,  had  deigned  to  descend  into  the  bosom  of  the 
earth  to  announce  to  them  in  person,  that  He  had  vanquished  hell, — 
that  the  work  of  their  redemption  was  accomplished, — that  He  had 
come  to  free  them  from  their  prisons,  and  conduct  them  to  the  hap- 
piness of  heaven. 

Our  divine  Lord  did  not  remain  long  in  Limbo.  He  had  predic- 
ted that  He  would  rise  again  the  third  day  after  death.  He  had  said 
to  His  Apostles:  "Behold,  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  all  things 
shall  be  accomplished  which  were  written  by  the  prophets  concern- 
ing the  Son  of  man.  For  He  shall  be  delivered  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  shall  be  mocked,  and  scourged,  and  spit  upon  :  And  after  they 
have  scourged  Him,  they  will  put  Him  to  death,  and  the  third  day 
He  shall  rise  again."*  No,  the  Lord  would  not  allow  His  "holy 
One  to  see  corruption,  nor  leave  His  soul  in  hell."f  It  was  Jesus 
who  said  by  the  mouth  of  the  prophet :  "  O  death,  I  will  be  thy 
death;  0  hell,  I  will  be  thy  bite."J  In  vain  did  they  seal  the  stone 

*  St.  Luke,  xviii :  31 — 34.        f  Psalms  xv :  10.        $  Osee,  xiii :  14. 


84  811  GET    SERMONS. 

which  closed  the  sepulchre,  and  place  a  guard  around  it.  Jesus  rises 
and  comes  forth  from  the  tomb  without  removing  the  stone.  A 
violent  earthquake  follows,  and  an  angel  descends  from  heaven,  rolls 
hack  the  stone,  and  seats  himself  thereon.  His  garments  are  white 
as  snow,  and  His  countenance  is  as  lightning.  So  frightened  are 
the  guards,  that  they  become  as  dead  men.  Pious  women  come  to 
embalm  the  body  of  Jesus ;  they  enter  the  sepulchre,  but  not  finding 
the  Saviour  there,  hasten  to  inform  Peter  and  John.  They  say  to 
them  :  "  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord,  and  we  know  not  where 
they  have  put  Him."  The  two  Apostles  run  to  the  tomb,  but  find 
nothing  in  it,  except  the  linen  cloths  and  the  napkin  that  had  been 
about  His  head.  But  behold  now  Jesus  appears  to  Magdalene, — 
and  angels  speak  to  these  holy  women,  whose  faith  had  brought  them 
to  the  grave  of  their  divine  Master :  "  Fear  not  you :  for  I  know 
that  you  seek  Jesus,  who  was  crucified.  He  is  not  here ;  for  He  has 
risen,  as  He  said."  Then  they  leave  the  sepulchre,  seized  with  fear 
yet  transported  with  joy.  At  the  same  time  Jesus  appears  to  them. 
They  cast  themselves  at  His  feet  and  adore  Him  ;  then  Jesus  says 
to  them :  "  Go,  tell  my  brethren  that  they  go  into  Galilee ;  there  they 
shall  see  me."*  The  pious  women  hasten  to  bear  the  glad  tidings 
to  the  disciples ;  but  these  are  unwilling  to  believe  their  words.  No 
doubt,  they  ardently  desired  the  resurrection  of  their  divine  Master, 
yet  they  fear  too  much  that  He  had  not  risen,  to  believe  easily  that 
He  had.  While  the  Saviour  is  thus  giving  proofs  of  His  resurrec- 
tion, the  guards  hasten  to  relate  the  fact  to  the  leading  men  of  the 
synagogue,  who  give  them  large  sums  of  money  to  induce  them  to 
conceal  the  truth.  They  bribe  them  to  say,  that  they  had  fallen 
asleep,  and  that  during  their  sleep,  the  disciples  came  and  stole 
away  the  body  of  their  Master.  It  was  a  vain  expedient,  for  who 
can  receive  the  testimony  of  a  sleeping  witness  ?  How  senseless  it 
was  for  the  Jews  to  credit  this  falsehood  ?  If  the  guards  watched, 
why  did  they  not  prevent  the  body  of  Jesus  from  being  removed  ? 
If  they  were  asleep,  how  could  they  see  it  taken  away  ?  and  if  they 
saw  nothing,  of  what  avail  was  their  testimony?  No,  the  Son  of 
God  did  not  remain  among  the  dead  ;  He  has  risen  from  death,  and 
to  prove  it,  He  has  shown  himself  to  His  Apostles  and  to  more  than 

*  St.  Matthew,  xxviii:  10. 


RESURRECTION    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  85 

five  hundred  of  His  disciples  together ;  He  conversed  with  them, 
and  He  ate  and  drank  with  them.  In  testimony  of  His  resurrection, 
the  Apostles  have  shed  their  blood  and  given  their  lives.  This  is 
evidence  that  no  one  can  refuse  to  admit. 

Jesus,  our  Saviour,  rose  gloriously  from  the  grave,  and  His  resur- 
rection assures  us,  that  one  day  we  too  shall  rise  from  the  dead : 
"  He  was  the  first  born  from  among  the  dead,"  and  He  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  His  servants.  The  same  divine  power  that  gave  life  to 
the  body  of  Jesus,  will  also  unite  our  souls  once  more  to  our  bodies, 
and  they  will  assume  a  new  life.  0  ye  sinners,  who  live  without 
remorse  in  sin,  how  profound  is  the  sleep  of  your  conscience !  0, 
ye  vain  worldlings,  who  labor  only  for  your  bodies,  who  continually 
indulge  them,  and  grant  them  every  thing  which  they  desire,  to  the 
detriment  of  your  immortal  souls,  which  you  neglect, — know  ye 
that  a  day  will  come,  when  you  will  rise  forth  alive  from  the  bosom 
of  the  grave,  and  that,  if  sin  reign  in  you  until  death,  and  if  death 
overtake  you  in  impenitence,  you  will  be  tormented,  both  body  and 
soul,  for  all  eternity  !  But  you,  ye  just  and  pious  souls,  who  suffer  in 
poverty  and  contempt,  whom  sorrow  pursues  and  misery  oppresses 
with  all  its  rigor,  but  who  love  your  God,  who  are  submissive  to 
His  adorable  will,  and  receive  with  resignation  the  cross  He  sends 
you,  console  yourselves,  for  your  Redeemer  liveth ;  He  hath  risen ; 
and  hereafter  the  day  will  come  when  you  too  will  rise  from  the 
corruption  of  the  tomb,  to  live  the  life  of  the  blessed  in  the  para- 
dise of  God,  where  your  divine  Saviour  hath  preceded  you,  where 
He  is  your  mediator  with  His  Father,  and  where  He  ceases  not  con- 
tinually to  intercede  in  your  behalf. — AMEN. 


86  SHORT   SERMONS. 

SERMON  XVI, 

SIXTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

ASCENSION    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 


"He  ascended  into  heaven,  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  the  Father 
Almighty." — APOSTLES'  CREED. 

THE  only  Son  of  God  was  made  man,  and  became  like  unto  us 
in  all  things,  sin  alone  excepted.  He  died  on  the  cross  for  the  sal- 
vation of  the  world.  His  body  was  placed  in  a  tomb ;  His  soul 
descended  into  Limbo  to  deliver  the  holy  souls  who  were  waiting 
there  until  the  blood  of  our  Saviour  should  wash  away  and  blot  out 
the  sins  of  the  world ;  which  was  necessary  before  they  could  enter 
into  glory.  The  third  day  after  the  painful  and  cruel  torments  of 
the  cross,  Christ  came  forth  gloriously  from  the  grave,  as  He  had 
foretold.  Behold,  my  Brethren,  what  I  explained  to  you  in  my 
last  instruction.  Now,  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  the  sixth  article 
of  our  creed,  an  article  which  will  make  the  subject  of  this  day's 
instruction. 

Christ  rises  from  the  dead,  ascends  into  heaven,  and  seats  himself 
at  the  right  hand  of  God,  the  Father  Almighty.  Listen,  my  Breth- 
ren, to  the  account  which  the  Evangelist  St.  Luke  furnishes  us, 
concerning  the  wonderful  Ascension  of  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ, 
into  heaven.  After  His  resurrection,  our  divine  Redeemer  remained 
during  forty  days  on  earth,  showing  himself  frequently  to  His 
Apostles  and  disciples,  instructing  them  in  many  very  important 
things ;  such  as  the  establishment  of  His  Church,  the  propagation 
of  the  Gospel,  all  that  regarded  the  reign  of  God  in  the  hearts  of 
men,  and  every  thing  calculated  to  bring  souls  to  the  happiness  of 
heaven.  At  last,  when  all  the  Apostles  and  disciples  were  assem- 
bled at  Jerusalem,  Jesus  appears  to  them  for  the  last  time.  He 
takes  a  seat  at  their  table,  eats  and  drinks  with  them.  During  the 


ASCENSION    OF    JESUS    CIIKIST.  87 

repast,  He  reproaches  them,  but  with  great  benignity,  for  their 
want  of  faith  in  His  resurrection,  of  which  He  had  now  come  to 
give  them  still  another  evident  and  palpable  proof ;  He  imposes 
upon  them  the  mission  of  preaching  His  word  to  every  creature, 
and  commands  them  to  travel  the  whole  world,  propagating  His 
religion  and  spreading  His  divine  doctrine  among  all  nations.  To 
inspire  them  with  courage  and  penetrate  their  hearts  with  a  gener- 
ous confidence,  He  bestows  upon  them  the  divine  power  of  work- 
ing miracles,  thus  to  give  greater  force  to  the  truths  which  they 
were  to  announce,  and  which  the  world,  converted  at  the  sight  of 
these  prodigies  of  the  omnipotence  of  God,  might  embrace  and 
practice. 

Our  divine  Lord  then  rises,  and,  followed  by  His  Apostles  and 
disciples,  goes  out  from  the  city,  and  proceeds  to  the  mount  of 
Olives.  There  His  agony  had  commenced ;  thence  too,  will  He  take 
His  flight  into  glory.  He  gives  His  Apostles  and  disciples  the  most 
consoling  assurance  that  He  would  never  cease  to  protect  them ; 
recommends  them  to  remain  at  Jerusalem,  until  they  should  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Comforter  whom  He  had  promised  to  send 
them  ;  He  speaks  to  them  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  father  address- 
ing his  children,  whom  he  is  about  to  leave;  raises  His  hand, 
blesses  them,  recommends  them  to  the  favor  and  protection  of  His 
heavenly  Father ;  and  then,  full  of  glory  and  majesty,  elevates  him- 
self in  the  air,  and  mounts  gradually  toward  heaven.  For  some 
time  the  Apostles  gaze  on  the  form  of  their  departing  Master ;  but 
at  length,  the  clouds  of  heaven  conceal  Him  from  their  view. 
Jesus  continues  His  ascent  into  heaven,  seats  himself  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  Almighty  Father,  to  whom  He  is  perfectly  equal,  and 
from  whom  He  receives,  as  man,  the  first  place  in  heaven,  above 
every  creature. 

Jesus  ascends  into  heaven ;  He  goes  to  take  possession  of  the 
glory  which  was  due  to  Him.  He  had  come  down  from  the  bosom 
of  His  Father,  to  take,  on  earth,  the  form  of  a  slave,  to  live  in 
poverty  and  disgrace, — to  die  in  torments,  to  pour  out  His  blood 
on  the  cross  for  the  redemption  of  the  human  race.  All  has  been 
consummated,  the  mission  of  the  Man-God  has  been  accomplished, 
and  behold,  "from  the  hight  of  the  cross,  He  shall  draw  all  unto 
Him."  The  Son  of  man  has  crushed  the  serpent's  head  ;  sin  has 


88  SHORT    SERMONS. 

been  blotted  out ;  the  empire  of  the  devil  annihilated ;  error  checked 
and  light  diffused ;  and  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  shall  be  adored 
in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Yes,  Jesus  hath  glorified  His  Father  among 
men,  it  was  just  that  He  should  receive  from  His  Father  infinite 
glory  in  the  eternal  mansions.  But  before  quitting  the  earth,  He 
said  to  us :  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled.  You  believe  in  God ; 
believe  also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  there  are  many  man- 
sions ...  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  shall  go,  and 
prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  will  take  you  to 
myself;  that  where  I  am,  you  also  may  be."* 

Christ  ascended  into  heaven,  to  prepare  a  place  for  us  there ;  He 
himself  has  said:  "  Where  I  am,  you  also  may  be."  A  day  will 
come,  when  it  will  be  permitted  us  to  participate  in  the  glory  of  our 
divine  Saviour.  It  will  be  so  if  we  place  ourselves  among  the  num- 
ber of  the  true  servants  of  Jesus  Christ ;  if  we  preserve  in  our  hearts 
and  manifest  in  our  conduct,  the  holy  commandments  which  He 
has  given  us  ;  if,  in  fine,  we  endeavor  to  render  ourselves  like  to 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Saviour  and  our  model.  "  A  faithful  saying," 
says  St.  Paul  to  Timothy;  "if  we  be  dead  with  Christ,  we  shall 
live  also  with  Him.  If  we  suffer  with  Him,  we  shall  also  reign 
with  Him;  if  we  deny  Him,  He  will  also  deny  us."f  Where 
Christ  is,  there  also  must  His  servants  be. 

0  !  divine  Jesus,  let  me  dwell  with  Thee  in  eternity,  in  the  taber- 
nacles of  Thy  Father !  But,  0  my  Saviour,  I  am  so  weak,  and  I 
fall  into  so  many  sins !  Must  not  the  splendor  of  Thy  glory  over- 
whelm the  unhappy  sinner,  who  would  dare  aspire  to  the  happiness 
of  heaven  ?  This  fear  would  fill  my  soul  with  desolation,  did  I  not 
know  that  Thou  hast  ascended  into  heaven  to  be  our  advocate  and 
mediator  with  Thy  Father.  "My  little  children,"  writes  St.  John 
to  the  first  Christians ;  "  these  things  I  write  to  you,  that  you  may 
not  sin.  But  if  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father, 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Just.  And  He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins."J 

Yes,  my  Brethren,  Jesus  Christ  is  our  advocate  in  heaven ;  He 
who  destroyed  sin,  is  our  Mediator  with  God ;  He  is  there  under 
the  eyes  of  His  Father,  as  a  constant  victim  and  perpetual  sacrifice 

*  St.  John,  xtv :  1,  2,  3.  t  2  Timothy,  ii ;  1,  2. 

*  1  Epistle  of  St.  John, ii:  1,2. 


ASCENSION    OF    JESUS    CHKIST.  89 

for  our  sins.  Should  not  this  saving  truth  fill  our  souls  with  sweet 
and  consoling  hope !  Jesus  intercedes  for  us  !  God  the  Father  did 
not  spare  His  only  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us,  and  how,  after 
having  betowed  upon  us  this  gift,  can  He  refuse  us  any  thing  which 
this  divine  Saviour  asks  for  us  ?  Oh  !  we  have  an  advocate  whose 
influence  over  the  heart  of  God  is  infinite,  we  can,  therefore,  reach 
heaven. 

My  Brethren,  heaven  is  our  country,  and  it  is  there  only  we  can 
find  happiness.  We  are  only  passengers  on  earth,  and  we  see  here 
only  empty  baubles,  vanities,  deceptions  and  sufferings.  Let  us 
not  allow  our  hearts  to  be  foolishly  attached  to  the  things  of  this 
world ;  let  us  remember  that  we  live  not  for  time,  but  for  eternity. 
Let  us  seek  the  things  that  are  in  heaven,  where  Jesus  Christ  sitteth 
at  the  right  hand  of  God  ;  let  us  taste  the  things  that  are  of  heaven, 
and  not  the  things  of  earth.  When  Jesus  Christ  shall  appear,  He 
who  is  our  life,  we  too  shall  appear  with  Him  in  glory,  if  we  walk 
in  His  footsteps,  follow  the  example  He  has  given  us,  obey  the 
rules  and  precepts  which  He  has  imposed  upon  us,  and  love  God 
and  our  neighbor  as  He  has  commanded.  We  shall  reap  in  eternity 
what  we  have  sown  in  time.  Let  us,  therefore,  keep  our  hearts 
raised  up  to  heaven ;  let  us  have  God  always  before  our  eyes,  let  us 
glorify  Him,  by  advancing  in  the  practice  of  good  works,  and  then 
as  vigilant  and  faithful  servants,  we  shall  deserve  to  ascend  to  the 
mansions  of  our  divine  Master. — AMEN. 


8 


90  SHORT    SERMONS. 


SERMON  XVII. 

SIXTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED.— (CONTINUED.) 

ON    HEAVEN. 


"  I  will  be  thy  reward  exceedingly  great." — GENESIS. 

SUCH,  my  Brethren,  were  the  magnificent  words  by  which  the 
Lord  encouraged  the  fidelity  and  supported  the  obedience  of  His 
servant  Abraham.  "  I  will  be  thy  reward  exceedingly  great:"  this 
admirable  promise,  the  Lord  deigns  to  make  to  all  His  children ; 
very  often  He  calls  it  to  our  recollection  by  the  inspirations  of  His 
Holy  Spirit,  who  searches  the  recesses  of  our  hearts,  and  excites  us 
to  the  practice  of  virtue ;  yet  more  frequently  by  the  mouth  of  His 
ministers,  who  cease  not  to  exhort  us  to  do  what  God  commands, 
and  to  avoid  what  He  prohibits.  God  wishes  to  make  us  happy ; 
He  desires  that  we  become  citizens  of  heaven ;  He  wishes  to  be  our 
reward  exceedingly  great ;  but  He  requires  that  we  render  ourselves 
worthy  of  it.  What  is  the  happiness  of  Heaven,  and  what  must  be 
done  to  obtain  it  ?  Here,  my  Brethren,  is  a  most  interesting  matter. 
Do  not  refuse  your  attention.  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
possess  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world." 

Has  Heaven  been  created  for  us  ?  Were  we  made  for  Heaven  ? 
Yes,  my  Brethren,  it  was  for  no  other  creatures,  but  angels  and 
men,  that  the  hand  of  the  Eternal  has  raised  up  the  magnificent 
palace  of  Heaven,  and  created  a  paradise  of  inexhaustible  delights. 
The  earth  is  only  a  place  of  exile ;  we  have  here  no  lasting  city ; 
our  country  is  in  Heaven.  We  will  one  day  reach  it ;  we  will  be 
fellow  citizens  with  the  angels,  and  God  will  be  our  reward,  our 
happiness,  our  recompense  exceedingly  great,  in  that  kingdom  which 
He  has  prepared  for  us  from  the  beginning.  But,  my  Brethren, 
what  is  this  kingdom  to  which  we  are  called  ?  As  long  as  our  soul 


ON    HEAVEN.  91 

is  inclosed  within  the  prison  of  this  mortal  flesh,  all  the  powers  of 
the  mind  united  are  unable  to  penetrate  the  habitation  of  God, — 
they  can  never  comprehend  the  extent  of  the  happiness  which  the 
saints  there  drink  in  deep  draughts, — for  this  happiness  is  ineffable. 
St.  Paul  was  taken  up  to  the  third  Heaven  and  saw  the  mysteries 
of  God :  but  returning  to  the  earth  he  was  incapable  of  telling 
what  he  saw, — he  could  only  give  utterance  to  his  astonishment  in 
these  words:  "The  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath 
it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  what  things  God  hath  prepared 
for  them  that  love  Him."*  I  can  not,  therefore,  my  Brethren,  un- 
fold before  your  eyes  what  remains  hidden  in  the  kingdom  of  Hea- 
ven, and  I  must  confine  myself  with  relating  to  you  what  our  faith 
teaches  us  about  this  land  of  happiness.  Faith  teaches  us,  that  in 
Heaven,  all  the  desires  of  man  will  be  satisfied ;  all  his  wishes  will 
be  accomplished  ;  whatever  he  desires,  he  will  enjoy ;  every  thing 
he  wishes  to  know,  he  will  see,  and  comprehend ;  whatever  he  is 
capable  of  loving,  he  will  possess;  he  will  be  forever  infinitely 
happy.  The  happiness  and  prosperity  which  we  may  enjoy  in  this 
life,  are  always  attended  with  apprehensions.  In  fact,  we  fear  that 
we  will  be  deprived  of  them.  To-day,  you  enjoy  sound  and  perfect 
health ;  but  may  not  sickness  be  your  lot  to-morrow  ?  You  float 
along  the  current  of  worldly  happiness, — you  abound  in  riches ;  but 
soon,  perhaps,  you  will  be  plunged  into  the  deepest  misery.  You 
occupy  a  prominent  position  in  the  world, — you  shine  among  men ; 
yet  the  day  will  come,  perhaps,  when  you  will  be  driven  into  obscu- 
rity, and  the  world  will  be  to  you,  as  if  you  had  never  known  it. 
Every  thing  on  earth  is  changeable ;  but  in  Heaven,  all  is  perma- 
nent and  indestructible,  and  the  place  which  the  predestined  soul 
will  occupy  on  its  entering  there,  will  be  its  own,  for  all  eternity. 
A  holy  soul  can  neither  be  supplanted,  nor  robbed  of  the  happiness 
to  which  God  has  called  it.  In  Heaven,  there  is  neither  pain,'  nor 
solicitude,  nor  fear,  nor  care,  for  these  have  passed  away,  and  the 
felicity  of  the  holy  elect  is  eternal  and  perfect. 

Whatever  may  be  the  happiness  of  man  on  earth,  however  great 
it  may  be,  it  is  allowed  to  be  of  the  shortest  duration.  Death  will 
always  be  powerful  enough  to  say  to  the  fortunate  ones  of  this  life : 

*  1  Corinthians,  ii :  9. 


02  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Your  happiness  will  come  so  far  and  no  further, — it  can  not  extend 
beyond  those  limits, — nor  beyond  the  time  fixed  by  the  decree  of 
God.  Your  death-knell  will  soon  ring,  and  the  world  will  soon 
seize  upon  all  that  you  possess.  At  your  departure  out  of  this  life, 
you  will  take  nothing  but  a  winding-sheet,  which  will  be  wrapped 
around  your  body.  But,  in  Heaven,  the  soul  has  a  certainty  that 
its  happiness  will  never  have  an  end.  Ages  may  roll  by,  but  they 
will  never  take  from  it  one  instant  of  its  unutterable  felicity.  For 
eternity,  it  will  enjoy  the  vision  and  possession  of  its  God,  from 
whom  torrents  of  delights  will  flow  upon  it  for  ever.  How  numer- 
ous soever  be  the  pleasures  of  man  in  this  world,  however  multiplied 
his  joys,  he  can  not  possess  them  all  at  once, — he  can  not  relish 
them  all  at  the  same  time.  He  may  enjoy  one  pleasure  now,  and 
another  at  a  future  time ;  but  let  him  vary  them  as  much  as  ever  he 
can,  he  will  soon  get  tired  and  disgusted  with  them.  It  is  not  so 
with  the  joys  of  Heaven ;  they  are  continual,  inexhaustible,  and  all 
enjoyed  together.  They  pour  into  the  souls  of  the  elect  delights 
ever  new,  yet  ever  the  same.  Satiety  never  approaches  them,  and 
the  blessed  in  Heaven  can  at  all  times  say :  My  soul  superabounds 
with  joy  in  the  Lord,  for  He  is  my  reward  exceedingly  great. 

0  holy  Sion,  how  beautiful  thou  art,  and  how  wonderful !  O  holy 
light  of  faith,  what  great  things  thou  hast  shown  us,  and  bidden 
us  hope  for,  in  exchange  for  the  deceitful  pleasures  of  this  fleeting 
world  !  0  divine  faith,  thou  hast  assured  us  that  Heaven  was  made 
for  us, — that  we  were  created  for  Heaven.  The  day,  therefore,  will 
come,  when  we  shall  take  our  departure  from  this  vain  and  fleeting 
world,  to  enter  the  house  of  eternity,  to  be  seated  in  the  habitation 
of  God,  in  the  joy  of  our  Lord :  then  we  shall  see  God  face  to  face, 
and  we  shall  know  Him,  as  we  are  known  by  Him ;  then  we  shall 
be  put  in  possession  of  a  happiness  without  end,  and  of  delights 
unspeakable  and  eternal ;  then  we  shall  be  forever  fixed  in  the  king- 
dom of  God,  who  is  all  goodness  and  all  charity, — who  created, 
loved  and  redeemed  us.  Behold  the  magnificent  inheritance  which 
Thou  hast  prepared  for  us,  0  divine  Saviour !  Such  the  adorable 
promise  which  Thou  hast  made  us,  and  which  Thou  hast  sealed  by 
Thy  d^ath  and  by  the  effusion  of  Thy  blood  on  the  cross.  But  this 
crown  of  immortality  which  awaits  us  in  Heaven,  my  Brethren, 
must  be  merited  by  us, — we  must  render  ourselves  worthy  of  it. 


ON    HEAVEN.  93 

What  then  should  we  do  to  obtain  it  ?  From  our  earliest  youth, 
religion  placed  in  our  hands  a  little  book  which  contains  an  abridg- 
ment of  all  that  it  teaches ;  and  we  learned  from  it,  that  the  road 
which  leads  us  to  Heaven,  is  the  love  of  God  and  the  observance  of 
His  holy  commandments.  To  attain  Heaven  then,  it  is  necessary  to 
love  God.  Ah  !  my  Brethren,  is  it  so  difficult  a  thing  to  love  God  ? 
No ;  it  is  only  necessary  to  have  a  grateful  heart.  You  can  love 
God ;  and  why  not  love  the  only  being  who  deserves  to  be  infinitely 
loved,  because  the  only  one  infinitely  perfect  ?  Why  will  you  not 
love  your  Father,  your  brother,  your  most  generous  benefactor  ? 
He  created  you,  and  you  have  forgotten  this  blessing ;  instead  of 
striking  you  with  eternal  death,  when  you  had  sinned,  He  did  not 
cease  to  take  pity  upon  you, — He  redeemed  you,  and  the  blood 
which  flowed  from  His  heart  on  the  cross,  blotted  out  the  sentence 
of  condemnation,  which  sin  had  fixed  on  your  forehead,  and  made 
you  once  more  pure  and  spotless.  He  replaced  you  on  the  road  to 
happiness,  and  gave  you  back  once  more  His  love.  Oh,  preserve 
this  precious  love,  and  give  Him  back  yours  in  return :  love  God 
with  your  whole  heart,  with  your  whole  soul,  with  all  your  mind 
and  all  your  strength.  Remember,  my  Brethren,  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  declares  that  he  who  loves  not  God,  is  dead ;  for  being  de- 
prived of  His  grace,  he  is  dead  to  eternal  life ;  while,  on  the  contrary, 
he  is  full  of  life  who  gives  to  God  love  for  love,  and  heart  for  heart. 
Our  divine  Saviour  promises  to  come  and  establish  His  dwelling  in 
the  bosom  of  the  man  who  loves  Him.  He  dwells  in  me,  such  are 
His  words,  and  I  dwell  in  him,  and  he  shall  have  eternal  life. 

To  obtain  Heaven,  it  is  necessary  to  serve  God  and  keep  His 
commandments.  If  you  love  God  sincerely,  you  will  submit  to 
His  adorable  law  ;  you  will  be  happy  in  accomplishing  His  divine 
will.  It  is  the  saying  of  eternal  truth,  my  Brethren,  that  he  who 
loves  God  will  keep  His  commandments.  The  yoke  of  the  Lord  is 
sweet  and  light ;  it  is  not  hard  to  be  borne  ;  besides,  we  can  do  all 
things  when  supported  and  fortified  by  divine  grace,  which  is  never 
wanting  to  him  who  asks  it,  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart. 

If  you  desire  then  to  obtain  Heaven,  love  God ;  if  you  wish  to 
have  part  in  the  happiness  of  the  saints,  keep  the  commandments, — 
be  faithful.  But  we  are  so  weak !  How  often  have  we  resolved  to 
walk  in  the  way  of  the  commandments,  and  how  often  have  we 


94  SHOUT    S  EKMONS. 

forgotten  our  resolutions  and  offended  the  Lord !  Nevertheless,  He 
himself  has  said,  that  nothing  defiled  shall  ever  enter  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven.  Yes,  my  Brethren,  God  has  spoken  this  awful  word, 
but  He  has  added,  that  He  will  not  reject  the  humble  and  contrite 
of  heart:  "Come  tome  all  you  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  refresh  you."  He  has  even  said  that  He  is  the  bread  of 
life,  that  gives  strength  and  the  grace  of  perseverance.  Come,  there- 
fore, with  contrition,  but  with  confidence  also,  to  the  feet  of  your 
humble  Saviour,  in  the  tribunal  of  His  mercy,  and  your  sins  will 
be  forgiven.  Come  with  eagerness,  with  ardor,  with  love,  to  the 
holy  table,  where  God  himself  will  be  your  food ;  and  by  the  aid  of 
this  living  bread,  and  joining  with  it  the  holy  exercise  of  prayer, 
which  obtains  every  thing  from  the  goodness  of  the  celestial  Father, 
you  will  become  firm,  unshaken  in  the  holy  ways  of  the  saints ; 
you  will  advance  even  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  you  will  be 
elevated  even  to  Heaven,  and  God  will  be  your  reward  exceedingly 
great  for  all  eternity. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XVIII. 

SEVENTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

GENERAL   JUDGMENT. 


"  For  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ," — 2  CORINTHIANS, 
v:  10. 

FORTY  days  after  His  resurrection,  Jesus  Christ  ascended  into 
heaven :  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  the  Father,  He  took  pos- 
session of  the  glory  which  He  had  merited  by  His  sufferings  and 
His  painful  death  on  the  cross  !  He  went  to  prepare  our  place  in 
the  abode  of  happiness,  and  to  be  our  advocate  with  God,  His 
Father,  before  whom  He  perpetually  intercedes  in  our  favor.  Hence 


GENERAL    JUDGMENT.  95 

the  angels  said  to  the  Apostles,  it  will  be  from  the  right  hand  of 
God  the  Father,  that  Jesus  will  return  to  the  earth,  at  the  end  of 
time,  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead.  It  is  this  second  coming 
of  our  Saviour  that  I  will  speak  about  to-day,  in  explaining  the 
seventh  article  of  our  creed. 

What  do  the  words  of  the  seventh  article  of  the  creed  signify  ? 
"  From  thence  He  shall  come  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead?" 
They  signify  that  we  acknowledge  Jesus  Christ  as  our  Supreme 
Judge ;  that  we  believe  He  will  come  again  on  earth  at  the  end  of 
time ;  that  on  the  last  day  of  the  world,  He  will  descend  from  the 
highest  heavens  to  judge  all  men,  and  render  to  each  one  according 
to  his  works.  It  is  true,  my  Brethren,  as  our  faith  teaches  us,  that 
immediately  after  death,  we  will  each  undergo  a  particular  judg- 
ment before  God,  and  that  our  doom  from  that  time  will  be  fixed 
forever,  according  to  the  works  we  have  done  during  life ;  but  see, 
the  soul,  at  this  moment,  stands  alone  in  the  presence  of  its  God ; 
upon  it  alone  the  sentence  of  the  sovereign  Judge  is  pronounced ; 
there  is  none  but  is  to  be  then  rewarded  or  punished.  Therefore, 
is  it,  that  there  will  be  a  second  Judgment,  so  that  all  humanity  may 
appear  before  the  tribunal  of  God,  to  be  rewarded  or  punished  both 
in  soul  and  body.  It  is  in  fact  but  just,  that  the  body  should 
have  in  eternity,  the  same  doom  as  the  soul  to  which  it  had  been 
united  in  time,  as  it  had  served  as  the  instrument  of  the  soul,  and 
cooperated  with  it  in  good  and  evil  doing  during  its  pilgrimage  in 
this  world. 

This  general  and  universal  Judgment  will  be  preceded  by  terrible 
events,  as  the  Holy  Scriptures  have  foretold  many  ages  ago.  All 
the  elements  will  be  in  frightful  confusion ;  dreadful  signs  will  be 
seen  in  the  heavens,  and  on  earth,  which  will  be  shaken  even  to  its 
very  foundation.  In  many  places  it  will  open,  and  yawning  abysses 
will  appear.  The  sea  will  be  in  fearful  agitation, — threatening  the 
earth,  and  seeming  to  engulf  it  beneath  its  waves. 

The  sun  will  lose  its  brightness,  and  darkness  will  cover  its  face  ; 
the  moon  and  the  stars  will  seem  to  fall  from  the  heavens ;  a  sub- 
terraneous fire  will  burst  out  in  numberless  places,  and  every  living 
thing  will  be  consumed  and  reduced  to  ashes. 

These  terrible  events  being  accomplished,  and  the  world's  agony 
being  by  them  announced,  behold  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  in  a  strong 


96  SHORT   SERMONS. 

and  powerful  voice  which  shall  awaken  the  dead  moldering  in  their 
graves,  and  summon  them  before  the  tribunal  of  God,  is  heard 
crying  out :  "Arise  ye  dead,  and  come  to  Judgment."  In  an  instant, 
from  the  east  to  the  west,  from  the  north  to  the  south,  rise  from 
the  corruption  of  the  tomb  all  the  generations  of  men  that  have  lived 
on  the  earth  from  the  commencement  of  time  till  the  last  day,  and 
the  power  of  God  will  transport  them  into  the  valley  of  Judgment. 
But  what  a  difference  between  these  resuscitated  bodies.  The  just 
will  arise,  and  their  bodies  will  appear  brilliant,  glorious  and  radi- 
ant. The  reprobate  will  also  arise,  but  how  deformed,  and  how 
hideous  !  Ah !  all  the  shame  and  all  the  deformity  of  sin  will 
cover  their  bodies,  and  render  them  most  frightful  and  most  disgust- 
ing. Great  and  sweet  will  be  the  joy  which  will  replenish  the 
souls  of  the  just,  when  they  shall  behold  their  bodies  so  magnifi- 
cently glorified  for  the  part  they  took  in  the  good  works  performed 
by  these  holy  souls  while  they  were  inclosed  in  the  prison  of  their 
mortal  flesh  !  But  how  terrible  will  be  the  grief  of  the  reprobate  ; 
how  horrible  the  despair  of  these  lost  souls,  when  they  shall  be 
forced  once  more  to  unite  with  their  hideous  bodies,  together  to 
undergo  their  eternal  punishment  in  the  fire  kindled  by  the  justice 
of  an  insulted  God  ! 

Behold,  therefore,  all  mankind  assembled  in  the  valley  of  Josa- 
phat :  heaven  opens,  and  Jesus,  the  Saviour  appears  on  a  brilliant 
cloud,  full  of  glory  and  majesty,  invested  with  sovereign  power. 
Millions  of  bright  angels  surround  His  throne,  while  some  pre- 
cede Him,  bearing  aloft  the  cross,  the  sacred  emblem  of  our  re- 
demption, upon  which  our  sins  were  expiated ;  that  cross,  whence 
pardon  descended  upon  the  world  abundantly  sufficient  for  all,  but 
of  which,  alas !  all  would  not  profit.  Then  a  strict  examination  of 
conscience  takes  place,  which  can  not  last  long  before  the  eyes  of  a 
God  who  has  seen  every  thing,  and  can  make  every  thing  manifest 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  As  if  in  an  immense  mirror,  at  one 
glance  are  seen  all  the  crimes  and  all  the  good  deeds  of  this  in- 
numerable multitude.  Each  of  the  assembled  multitude  of  men 
sees  every  thing  in  himself  and  in  all  others.  Then  the  angels 
commence  the  separation  of  the  good  from  the  bad, — of  the  living 
from  the  dead. 

On  the  right  they  set  the  living,  that  is  to  say,  the  just,  who  lived 


GENERAL   JUDGMENT. 


97 


the  life  of  grace  and  holiness ;  on  the  left,  the  dead,  sinners  who  are 
dead  to  grace  and  happiness.  Alas,  what  a  sad  separation, — how 
painfully  it  strikes  upon  the  heart !  The  husband  torn  from  the 
wife, — one  placed  on  the  right,  the  other  on  the  left ;  the  father  and 
the  mother  called  to  happiness,  and  their  children  condemned  ;  the 
brother  chosen,  the  sister  rejected  ;  friends  that  during  life  were 
inseparable,  now  become,  one  a  glorious  saint,  the  other  a  hideous 
demon.  The  poor  slave  and  the  servant,  the  laborer  and  the 
mechanic,  despised  during  their  mortal  lives,  now  take  their  seats 
on  the  right,  while  their  powerful  oppressors,  the  rich,  the  proud, 
the  avaricious  and  sordid  masters  groan  in  sorrow  on  the  left ! 
With  shame  on  their  foreheads,  pain  in  their  souls,  and  despair  in 
their  hearts,  they  utter  the  mournful  cry :  0  ye  mountains,  fall  upon 
us !  crush  us,  bury  us ;  wrest  us  from  this  sorrow  which  consumes 
us,  from  this  remorse  which  devours  us.  "It  is  a  dreadful  thing  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God.*  How  hideous  thou  art,  O 
sin !  0  misery,  how  terrible  ! 

At  last,  our  divine  Redeemer  turns  toward  the  just,  and  from 
his  lips  flow  forth  the  delightful  words:  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my 
Father,  possess  the  kingdom  which  was  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world,"  and  which  your  virtuous  and  pru- 
dent life  has  merited.  It  is  no  longer  to  the  cross  and  to  suffer- 
ings that  I  call  you ;  it  is  not  now  to  struggles  and  to  contests  that 
I  invite  you ;  I  come  to  establish  you  in  sovereign  repose ;  I  call 
you  to  the  delights  of  heaven  ;  you  shall  enjoy  happiness,  and  this 
happiness  shall  never  have  an  end ;  I  wish  to  be  no  longer  separated 
from  you,  and  you  shall  be  with  me  for  everlasting  ages. 

The  eyes  of  the  sovereign  Judge  are  now  cast  on  the  reprobate, 
and  strikes  them  with  terror.  The  anathema  issues  from  His 
mouth:  "Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,"  depart  "into  everlasting 
fire."  During  life  I  offered  you  powerful  means  of  salvation  ;  and 
you  have  despised  them.  How  often,  by  the  mouths  of  my 
preachers  and  confessors,  have  I  exhorted  you  to  be  converted,  and 
do  penance, — and  you  would  not  heed  me.  How  many  examples  of 
virtue  and  piety  did  I  set  before  you  in  the  lives  of  my  saints,  and 
you  would  not  follow  them  !  Where  are  your  good  works  !  You 

*  Hebrew,  x :  31 . 


98  SHORT    SERMONS. 

knew  they  were  required  of  you, — yet  I  see  only  vices,  disorders 
and  crimes  !  I  asked  the  love  of  your  hearts,  and  you  have  given 
me  only  coldness,  indifference  and  contempt!  I  asked  from  you 
charity  for  your  brethren,  whom  I  identified  with  myself,  and  com- 
manded you  to  do  unto  them  as  you  would  do  unto  me ;  and  for 
them  and  for  me  you  have  had  no  charity ;  you  had  only  selfishness, 
hard-heartedness  and  avarice!  " Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into 
everlasting  fire."  The  earth  opens,  and  flames  burst  forth  from  the 
chasm, — headlong  the  reprobate  tumble  into  hell,  thrust  in  by  the 
hands  of  demons,  to  begin  their  eternal  sorrow.  In  hell  there  is  no 
grace, — there,  redemption  is  no  more  possible ;  the  sufferings  of  the 
damned  will  never  have  an  end  ;  time  will  never  bring  them  con- 
solation, for  time  is  now  no  more,  and  the  clock  of  hell  points  to 
no  hour, — its  dial  is  encircled  with  the  word  Eternity  ! 

On  the  right  of  the  supreme  Judge,  a  song  of  triumph  is  heard  : 
Glory  and  honor  to  our  bountiful  and  powerful  God,  whom  we  have 
loved  and  served !  Glory  and  honor  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain, 
and  who  possessed  all  our  love !  Holy,  holy,  holy,  the  God  of 
heaven  and  earth,  to  whom  be  all  glory  and  all  honor,  forever  and 
forever.  The  elect  move  in  a  band  toward  the  eternal  mansions : 
they  follow  Jesus  into  glory,  as  they  had  followed  Him  in  virtue 
and  in  bearing  the  cross.  The  gates  of  paradise  are  thrown  open, 
the  glory  of  heaven  encompasses  the  children  of  God,  and  ineffable 
delights  fill  their  hearts  with  ecstatic  bliss !  They  shall  be  happy 
forever !  An  angel  closes  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  fixes  upon  them 
the  seal  of  God,  which  shall  never  be  broken ; — eternity  reigns  all 
around. 

Every  time  I  think  of  this  terrible  day,  says  St.  Jerome,  I  tremble 
in  every  part  of  my  body.  Whether  I  eat,  whether  I  drink,  what- 
ever I  do,  it  seems  I  always  hear  the  awful  sound  of  the  trumpet, 
which  rings  in  my  ears,  and  says  :  "Arise  ye  dead,  and  come  to 
Judgment."  A  holy  man  remained  for  three  days  before  his  death 
in  a  state  of  stupor  and  profound  grief.  Some  one  asked  :  Where 
are  you  going  ?  He  answered  ;  to  Judgment.  Why  should  you 
fear  ?  Alas  !  said  ho,  how  different  are  the  Judgments  of  God  from 
those  of  man  !  My  Brethren,  if  that  hour  should  come  to  you  to-day, 
what  would  be  your  lot  ?  Where  would  your  consciences  place  you  ? 
Would  it  be  on  the  right,  or  would  it  be  on  the  left?  Choose  now, 


THE   HOLY    GHOST.  99 

determine  your  place,  for  at  present  it  depends  on  yourselves.  A  life 
of  sin  and  vice  will  place  you  among  the  reprobate, — a  life  of  virtue 
and  wisdom  will  lead  you  to  the  right  of  Christ,  on  the  road  to 
heaven, — to  the  happiness  of  paradise !  Oh,  take  then,  I  entreat 
you,  the  road  to  glory. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XIX. 

EIGHTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

THE   HOLY  GHOST. 


"  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost." — APOSTLES'  CREED. 

You  know  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Creator  of  heaven  and 
earth;  you  know  also  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  our  loving 
Saviour ;  and  you  know  that,  to  redeem  us,  He  was  made  man,  was 
scourged,  crowned  with  thorns,  and  nailed  to  the  tree  of  the  cross, 
upon  which  He  shed  even  the  last  drop  of  his  blood.  You  have 
already  learned  all  this,  my  Brethren,  and  you  have  also  learned 
from  your  holy  religion,  that  our  divine  Redeemer  triumphed  over 
death ;  that  He  rose  again,  and  that  He  is  full  of  glory  and  majesty 
in  heaven,  where  He  intercedes  for  us,  with  His  Father ;  where  He 
prepares  for  us  a  place,  and  whither  He  will  introduce  us  when  the 
time  known  to  himself  and  decreed  by  God  shall  come.  I  will 
continue  to  instruct  you  in  the  great  and  consoling  mysteries  which 
faith  teaches.  That  which  is  the  object  of  the  eighth  article  of  the 
creed  is  no  less  interesting  than  those  you  have  already  learned. 

What  is  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  There  are  three  persons  in  the  most 
Holy  Trinity :  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  The  Holy 
Ghost,  whom  the  divine  Saviour,  when  He  ascended  into  heaven, 
promised  to  send  to  his  Apostles,  is  the  third  person  of  the  adorable 
Trinity.  This  Spirit  of  truth  has  no  beginning,  and  He  shall  never 
have  an  end.  The  Father,  the  first  person  of  the  most  Blessed 


100  SHORT   SERMONS. 

Trinity,  has  no  principle  that  produces  Him,  He  exists  of  himself. 
The  Son,  the  second  person  of  the  most  Blessed  Trinity,  has  no 
principle  but  the  Father,  by  whom  He  was  begotten  in  an  unspeak- 
able manner,  from  all  eternity.  The  Holy  Ghost,  the  third  person 
of  the  most  Blessed  Trinity,  proceeds,  from  all  eternity,  from  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  as  from  one  and  the  same  principle,  without 
being  begotten  of  either  the  one  or  the  other.  The  Father,  con- 
templating himself  and  knowing  himself,  begets  another  self, — a 
Son,  called  also  the  Word ;  that  is  what  is  meant  by  the  eternal 
generation  of  the  Word.  The  Father  and  the  Son,  by  their 
reciprocal  love,  produce  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  term  of  their  love,  the 
indissoluble  bond  between  them ;  that  is  what  is  called  the  pro- 
cession of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  is  to  say,  the  eternal  production  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  who  proceeds  from  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
who  has  with  them  one  and  the  same  substance,  and  who  is  God, 
like  God  the  Father,  and  like  God  the  Son,  and  equal  to  them 
in  all  things.  This  is  a  truth  which  Jesus  Christ  clearly  expressed, 
when  He  commanded  his  Apostles  to  baptize  all  nations  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  God,  for  He  is  comprised  under  the  same  name  with 
the  Father,  who  is  God,  and  with  the  Son,  who  is  God,  and  He 
operates  in  the  work  of  our  regeneration,  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
Father,  who  is  God,  and  as  the  Son,  who  is  God.  The  Holy  Ghost 
is  God,  for  the  Evangelist  positively  declares  Him  to  be  so.  "There 
are  three  that  give  testimony  in  heaven ;  the  Father,  the  Word,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost :  and  these  three  are  one."*  Yes,  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  God,  as  the  Father  and  the  Son ;  He  has  the  same  nature,  the 
same  divine  essence,  and  at  the  name  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  at 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  at  the  name  of  the  Son,  every  head 
must  bow,  and  every  knee  must  bend,  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and 
even  in  hell. 

But  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  also  of  a  nature  infinitely  spirit- 
ual, and  infinitely  holy ;  why,  therefore,  is  the  name  Holy  Spirit,  or 
Holy  Ghost,  which  signifies  the  same  thing,  given  neither  to  the 
Father  nor  to  the  Son  ?  It  is  because  both  the  one  and  the  other 
are  already  known  by  names  respectively  proper  to  each, — the  one 

«  1  Epistle  St.  John,  v :  7. 


THE    HOLY    GHOST.  101 

by  the  name  of  Father,  the  other  by  the  name  of  Son;  but  as 
we  know  no  name  which  suit?  the  third  person  better  than  that  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  designate  Him  by  this  name, 
to  distinguish  Him  from  the  Father  and  the  Son.  Again,  we  give 
Him  this  name,  because  the  Holy  Ghost  is  as  the  Spirit,  the  Soul 
of  our  soul,  that  is  to  say,  He  vivifies  it ; — for  the  Lord  says  :  I 
will  "  put  my  Spirit  in  you,  and  you  shall  live."*  In  fine,  we  give 
Him  this  name,  because  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  author  of  our  sancti- 
fication ;  because  all  the  blessings  and  all  the  graces  which  we  have 
received  from  God,  we  possess  from  the  liberality  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  whom  we  ought  to  thank  with  all  our  hearts  in  grateful 
acknowledgment.  It  was  the  Holy  Ghost,  who,  in  baptism,  washed 
us,  sanctified  us,  and  justified  us.  My  Brethren,  what  were  we 
before  the  saving  waters  of  baptism  were  poured  upon  our  heads  ? 
Alas !  we  had  received  from  our  parents  a  sad  inheritance  !  From 
the  very  first  instant  of  our  existence,  sin  came  to  soil  our  souls ; 
we  were  conceived  in  iniquity,  and  were  born  children  of  wrath, 
unworthy  of  heaven.  Be  Thou  praised,  0  Holy  Ghost,  for  the 
graces  which  Thou  hast  granted  us  in  baptism !  Thou  hast  wrested 
us  from  eternal  death,  raised  us  up  to  life  again,  delivered  us  from 
the  shameful  bondage  of  the  devil,  regenerated  us,  made  us  children 
of  God,  heirs  of  heaven,  of  happiness  without  end !  Be  praised, 

0  Thou  Spirit  of  love  and  of  unspeakable  charity,  for,  not  content 
with  placing  us,  by  baptism,  on  the  holy  way  that  leads  to  heaven, 
Thou  hast  not  ceased  to  dwell  in  our  souls  and  hearts,  to  enlighten 
and  direct  us  in  all  our  conduct,  to  animate  us  with  Thy  celestial 
warmth,  to  show  us  the  dangers  which  beset  us,  and  aid  us  in  avoid- 
ing them,  to  make  known  to  us  our  enemies  and  help  us  to  combat 
and  conquer  them.    Yes,  0  Divine  Spirit,  my  heart  delights  to  repeat 
it ;  it  is  to  Thee,  to  Thy  grace,  to  Thy  assistance  and  to  Thy  divine 
lights,  that  I  am  indebted  for  every  blessing,  and  for  every  good  deed 

1  ever  had  the  happiness  to  perform.    There  is  no  doubt,  my  Brethren, 
the  Holy  Ghost  labors  incessantly  to  keep  us  in,  or  bring  us  back  to 
the  pathway  of  virtue,  to  render  us  better  and  more  holy.     To  Him, 
as  to  their  source,  we  must  attribute  all  the  virtues  which  adorn  and 
enrich  our  souls.     It  is  His  grace  which  makes  virtue  known  to  us, 

*  Ezechiel,  xxxvii :  14. 


102  SHORT    SERMONS. 

and  which  moves  and  excites  our  will  to  choose  and  put  in  execution 
the  good  it  reveals  to  our  understanding.  You  read  a  good  book : 
it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  produces  and  keeps  in  you  the  good 
desire,  the  salutary  will  to  follow  the  wise  counsel  which  this  good 
hook  gives  you ;  to  rise  out  of  sin,  to  he  converted,  and  to  devote 
your  heart  to  the  practice  of  the  holy  precepts  of  the  law  of  God. 
You  hear  a  sermon :  it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  imprints  on  your 
soul  the  truths  which  the  sensible  word  of  the  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ  exposed  only  to  the  eyes  of  your  mind,  and  who  works  upon 
your  heart  and  fills  it  with  holy  thoughts  and  Christian  sentiments. 
Your  attention  is  directed  to  a  wise  and  virtuous  person,  to  a  pious 
and  zealous  Christian.  The  purity  that  embellishes  his  soul,  and  the 
peace  which  reigns  in  his  heart,  sweet  recompense  for  the  practice 
of  his  duties,  are  manifested  by  the  calmness  and  serenity  of  his 
countenance.  You  feel  sweetly  inclined  to  walk  in  his  footsteps,  to 
imitate  his  amiable  conduct ;  it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  gives  you 
this  attraction  for  virtue ;  He  it  is  who  directs  your  eyes  to  the 
beautiful  model  which  He  presents  to  you,  and  He  it  is  who  inspires 
you  with  the  resolution  of  following  this  model  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord.  Death  strikes  down  by  your  side  the  friend  of  your  bosom, 
one  near  and  dear  to  your  heart,  and  behold,  you  begin  to  reflect 
on  the  shortness  of  life,  on  the  nothingness  of  the  things  of  this 
world,  and  you  think  more  seriously  of  death  and  of  eternity  ;  it 
is  the  Holy  Ghost  speaking  to  your  soul ;  He  desires  to  enter  it, — 
to  convert  and  lead  it  to  heaven,  and  He  knocks  at  the  door  of  your 
heart.  Open  your  heart,  my  dear  brother;  listen  to  these  good 
thoughts,  give  way  to  these  divine  inspirations ;  the  Spirit  of  God 
brings  you  light,  peace  and  happiness.  You  fall  sick,  and  on  your 
bed  of  suffering  your  conscience  is  aroused  from  its  torpor ;  you 
begin  to  heed  its  reproaches ;  you  pray  and  are  converted :  give 
thanks  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  it  is  He  who  spoke  to  you,  who 
touched  and  enlightened  you  ;  and  because  you  have  heard  the  voice 
of  God,  and  have  not  hardened  your  heart,  behold,  you  arise  from 
your  sins,  and  you  enter  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord,  to  whom  you 
have  become  again  the  child  of  benediction.  Yes,  my  Brethren, 
our  sanctification  will  be  effected,  our  salvation  will  be  secured,  if 
we  always  lend  an  attentive  ear  to  the  voice  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
if  we  faithfully  obey  His  charitable  inspirations.  But  beware,  my 


T  II  K    C  II  i:  B  C  H  . 


103 


Brethren,  beware  of  opposing  Him  by  manifesting  a  hard  and  obsti- 
nate heart :  let  us  not  compel  this  Spirit  of  goodness  to  withdraw 
His  divine  light  from  us,  let  us  not  cause  Him  to  retire  and  totally 
forsake  us.  Woe  to  the  obstinate  sinner  whom  the  Holy  Ghost 
abandons  to  a  reprobate  sense.  From  the  moment  the  unfortunate 
sinner  ceases  to  see  the  enormity  of  his  sin,  he  swallows  iniquity 
like  water,  he  rejects  far  from  him  the  very  idea  of  repentance,  he 
becomes  daily  more  and  more  hardened,  he  dies  at  last,  and  his  soul, 
overtaken  by  the  vengeance  of  God,  goes  to  suffer  forever  in  hell, 
the  torments  of  the  damned. 

Divine  Spirit,  we  adore  Thee  from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts,  for 
Thou  art  God  ;  we  believe  firmly  that  Thou  art  the  third  person  of 
the  most  Holy  Trinity,  that  Thou  proceedest  from  the  Father  and 
the  Son,  and  like  them,  Thou  art  eternal,  all-powerful,  infinite  in  all 
Thy  perfections,  Creator  and  sovereign  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth. 
Ah !  deign  to  enlighten  our  understanding,  and  replenish  our  minds 
with  holy  desires  ;  encompass  our  hearts  and  sanctify  them.  Come, 
0  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  knowledge,  of  counsel  and  of  fortitude, 
of  understanding,  of  piety  and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord ;  come,  0 
Holy  Ghost,  establish  Thy  habitation  in  our  souls,  that  under  Thy 
guidance,  we  may  know  God,  love  God,  serve  God,  and  walk  all 
the  days  of  our  life  in  the  way  of  His  commandments,  along 
the  path  of  virtue,  the  only  road  which  leads  to  the  happiness  of 
heaven. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XX. 

NINTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

THE   CHURCH. 


"I  believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church." — APOSTLES'  CREED. 

MY  Brethren,  there  is  a  God,  the  beginning,  the  source,  and  the 
author  of  every  being.  He  exists  necessarily,  He  exists  of  himself; 
He  is  eternal,  He  is  infinitely  perfect.  His  providence  rules  and 


104  SHORT    SKRMONB. 

governs  all  things  with  power  and  sweetness,  and  heaven  and  earth 
march  in  the  paths  He  has  marked  out  for  them.  In  God,  there 
arc  three  persons  :  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  These 
adorable  persons  have  all  the  same  nature  and  divine  essence.  The 
Father  has  no  principle  to  produce  Him ;  the  Son  proceeds  from  the 
Father  by  way  of  generation,  and  was  begotten  from  all  eternity ; 
the  Holy  Ghost  proceeds  from  the  Father  and  Son  by  way  of  love, 
and  from  all  eternity.  We  would  have  been  forever  lost,  but  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  made  man,  died  for  us  on  the 
cross.  He  rose  again,  ascended  into  heaven,  where,  seated  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  his  Father,  He  serves  as  our  advocate,  and  per- 
petually intercedes  in  our  behalf.  On  the  last  day  of  the  world, 
He  will  come  again  on  earth  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead. 
Behold,  in  a  few  words,  my  Brethren,  the  great  truths  which  I  have 
unfolded  in  my  preceding  instructions.  We  have  now  come  to  the 
ninth  article  of  the  creed,  which  is  thus  expressed:  The  Holy 
Catholic  Church.  The  explanation  of  this  article  of  our  faith 
interests  us  in  the  highest  degree,  since  it  is  by  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  that  we  must  be  conducted  to  heaven.  Continue  then  to 
give  me  your  attention. 

To  please  God  and  attain  heaven,  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  live  in 
the  true  faith  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  should  then  have  a  certainty 
that  we  are  on  the  right  road, — marching  according  to  the  true 
doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour.  Our  Lord  must  have  given 
us  means  of  ascertaining  this  road  beyond  doubt,  and  this  means 
must  be  so  plain  as  to  be  within  the  reach  and  comprehension  of 
every  man,  learned  or  unlearned.  What  then  is  this  means  ? 

Is  it  the  private  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  ?  No ;  for  there 
are  an  immense  number  of  men  who  have  neither  the  time  nor  the 
capacity  necessary  to  devote  themselves  to  deep  study,  and  to  make 
such  laborious,  yet  indispensable  researches.  Beside,  how  vast  is 
the  number  of  those  who  have  never  learned  to  read.  Is  it,  per- 
haps, the  teaching  of  the  learned  ?  No :  neither  will  this  answer 
the  purpose.  For  every  man,  left  to  his  own  opinions,  makes  a 
system  for  himself;  and,  in  every  sect,  the  most  learned  men  differ 
very  much  from  each  other,  even  on  the  most  essential  articles  of 
the  faith  and  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ ;  they  differ,  that  is  certain  ; 
they  can  not  therefore  be  right.  Which  then  is  to  be  followed  ? 


THE    CHURCH.  105 

Is  it  possible  that  the  ignorant,  illiterate  man  will  be  able  to  make 
a  choice  ?  No.  The  teaching  of  the  learned  is,  therefore,  not  the 
means  that  can  disclose  to  us  the  way  to  truth. 

Does  it  then  consist  in  the  immediate  and  particular  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  No,  my  Brethren,  that  is  not  the  means.  See 
what  takes  place  among  sectarists  who  pretend  to  have  this  miracu- 
lous and  immediate  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Holy 
Ghost  can  teach  nothing  but  truth ;  He  can  not  teach  error ;  yes 
and  no  at  the  same  time.  But  we  know  that  all  the  sects  dis- 
agree among  themselves,  and  create  for  themselves  contradictory 
creeds  ?  It  is  not  then  the  Spirit  of  truth,  but  the  father  of  lies 
that  leads  them. 

Who  then  will  shed  upon  us  the  light  of  divine  truth  ? 
What  means  have  we  of  knowing  the  faith  and  the  doctrine  of 
Jesus  Christ?  Turn  your  eyes  to  the  Church  established  by  our 
Saviour,  the  God  of  truth;  it  is  the  sure  guide  to  whom  our 
Saviour  has  confided  us.  But,  without  doubt,  a  church  that  could 
be  deceived,  would  not  be  the  proper  instrument  to  instruct  us  in 
faith  and  true  doctrine.  No,  such  could  not  be  the  Church  which 
our  divine  Saviour  established  on  earth.  His  Church  is  "like  a 
city  built  upon  a  rock,"  it  is  firmly  founded  on  truth,  and  we  can 
with  the  utmost  reliance  assert  that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  is 
not  subject  to  error. 

A  little  later  I  will  show  you  this  truth  confirmed  by  the  express 
words  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  but  let  us  first  see  what  is  this  holy 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  When  the  Apostles  began  to  preach  the 
Gospel  of  the  Saviour  among  those  who  wished  to  follow  its 
doctrine,  there  were  some  who  received  and  embraced  every  thing 
these  faithful  embassadors  of  God  taught  them.  These  were  the 
true  believers.  Others  again  made  choice  of  some  truths  and  rejec- 
ted others.  These  were  the  heretics.  As  soon  as  the  Apostles  dis- 
covered the  culpable  manner  in  which  these  men  acted,  they  imposed 
upon  them  the  obligation  of  renouncing  their  errors  ;  and  drove 
them  from  their  communion,  if  they  remained  obstinate.  They 
received  into  the  society  or  assembly  of  Christians,  which  formed 
the  Church  of  Christ,  only  true  believers, — those  who  received  and 
embraced  all  the  doctrine  which  had  been  taught  to  them. 

Our  Saviour  wished  not  that  all  His  ministers  should  be  equal 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

and  occupy  the  same  rank  in  His  Church.  He  chose  some  to  be 
superiors, — some  to  be  elevated  to  the  highest  places, — these  were 
bishops ;  others  were  to  occupy  a  lower  rank, — these  were  principally 
priests,  whose  duty  it  is  to  assist  the  bishops.  This  distinction  is 
manifest  in  the  selection  which  the  Saviour  made  of  His  Apostles, 
who  were  most  certainly  the  first  bishops.  He  afterward  chose 
seventy-two  disciples,  whom  he  sent  to  preach  His  Gospel,  but 
without  investing  them  with  the  authority  which  He  had  bestowed 
upon  the  Apostles. 

But,  had  all  the  bishops  the  same  authority  and  the  same  dignity  ? 
No  ;  our  Saviour  wished  that  one  of  them  should  be  placed  above 
all  the  rest,  that  he  should  be  invested  with  supreme  power,  that  he 
should  be  His  representative,  His  vicar  on  earth,  the  visible  head, 
the  sovereign  pontiff,  the  pastor  of  pastors  in  His  Church.  It  was 
on  St.  Peter  that  God,  our  Saviour  bestowed  this  distinction  and 
high  dignity.  He  had  promised  him  this  privilege  before  He  died 
on  the  cross,  when  he  said  to  him:  "Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church.*  He  fulfilled  His  promise  when 
He  said  to  the  same  Apostle:  "Feed  my  lambs,"  that  is  to  say, 
the  faithful ;  "feed  my  sheep,"  that  is  to  say,  the  pastors  ;  be  you 
the  pastor  of  pastors. 

What  then  is  the  Church,  in  which  the  true  faith  of  Jesus  Christ 
resides  ?  It  is  the  society  of  all  faithful  Christians  united  together 
by  one  and  the  same  profession  of  faith,  by  the  participation  of  the 
same  sacraments,  and  by  submission  to  the  same  legitimate  pastors, 
chiefly  to  the  sovereign  pontiff,  who  is  the  Pope.  This  Church  will 
subsist  to  the  very  end  of  time,  and  until  then,  will  continue  to 
conduct  mankind  in  the  ways  of  truth  and  of  holiness.  If  it  were 
possible  for  it  to  fall  into  error  it  would  have  long  since  have  sunk 
into  ruin  ;  it  would  long  since  have  ceased  to  be  the  assembly  of  the 
faithful, — of  true  believers.  But  this  our  divine  Lord  would  never 
permit; — hence  He  was  pleased  to  endow  His  Church  with  the 
divine  prerogative  of  infallibility,  in  every  thing  regarding  faith, 
morals  and  salvation.  No,  the  Church  can  not  err,  for  our  Saviour 
has  said  to  the  prince  of  the  Apostles :  "  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 

*  St.  Matthew,  xv i:  18. 


THE    CHUKCH  .  107 

prevail  against  it  ;*  that  is  to  say,  all  the  power  and  strength  of  the 
devil  and  his  assistants  shall  never  lead  it  into  error.  But  they 
would  have  prevailed  against  it,  had  it  been  permitted  the  father  of 
lies  to  draw  it  away  from  truth.  From  that  moment  it  would  cease 
to  be  the  society  of  the  faithful,  it  would  be  no  more  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

No,  the  Church  can  not  err,  for  Christ  has  said :  "  Behold,  I  am 
with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world. "j-  He 
will  be  with  His  Church,  not  from  time  to  time,  but  all  days;  not 
for  a  certain  time,  but  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.  God  is  with 
it ;  He  leads  it  as  if  by  the  hand ;  it  can  never  therefore  fall  into 
errors  and  illusions. 

No,  the  Church  can  not  err,  for  the  Saviour  has  said  to  his 
Apostles  and  their  lawful  successors  :  "And  I  will  ask  the  Father, 
and  He  shall  give  you  another  Paraclete,  that  He  may  abide  with 
you  forever.  . . .  The  Paraclete,  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will 
send  in  my  name,  He  will  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things 
to  your  mind,  whatsoever  I  have  said  to  you."J;  The  Holy  Ghost 
shall  remain  forever  with  the  Apostles  on  earth,  He  will  be  with 
them  even  to  the  end  of  time  ;  but  the  Apostles  were  to  live  only 
a  short  time  on  earth ;  it  is  therefore  with  their  successors,  with  the 
sovereign  pontiff  and  with  the  bishops  that  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  who  will  teach  them  all  truth,  will  abide  forever. 
It  is  therefore  impossible  that  the  Church  should  ever  fall  into 
error,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  is  here  always  present  for  the  purpose 
of  enlightening,  teaching  and  guiding  it.  If  you  doubt  this  truth  ; 
that  the  Church  is  infallible,  that  she  can  not  be  deceived  in  things 
which  regard  faith  and  salvation,  one  of  these  two  things,  my 
Brethren,  must  follow :  either  you  refuse  to  believe  the  word  of  your 
Saviour,  and  then  you  declare  yourself  an  unbeliever;  or,  you 
charge  Him  with  having  failed  in  His  promise,  and  then  you  insult, 
you  outrage  God,  you  are  a  blasphemer.  Yes,  Jesus  Christ  has 
promised  that  His  presence,  and  that  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  will  per- 
petually preserve  His  Church  from  the  slightest  taint  of  error.  It 
will  possess  the  truth,  all  the  truth ;  such  the  crown  our  Saviour 
has  given  His  Spouse,  which  shall  never  be  torn  from  her  brow. 

*  St.  Matthew,  xvi :  18,  19.    f  St..  Matthew,  xxviii :  20.    *  St.  John,  xiv  :  16,  26. 


108  SHORT   SERMONS. 

Hence,  St.  Paul  calls  the  Church  "the  pillar  and  ground  of  the 
truth."*  Whosoever  clings  to  this  pillar  shall  never  fall  into  error, 
and  true  faith  shall  forever  be  his  happy  portion. 

My  Brethren,  give  daily  thanks  to  God,  for  having  received  from 

Him, from  His  bounty,  the  precious  gift  of  faith.     You  were  born, 

nourished,  and  reared  in  the  true  Church  of  Jesus  Christ :  Oh!  listen 
with  docility  to  its  teachings,  and  love  them  dearly.  They  are  not 
doctrines  deceitfully  built  on  the  whimsical  reason  of  man,  they  are 
divine  teachings,  they  are  the  doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ  himself, 
who  imparts  them  to  you,  through  the  teaching  body,  whom  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  has  appointed,  and  whom  the  Paraclete,  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  directs,  enlightens  and  preserves.  Yes,  my  Brethren, 
let  us  constantly  cling  to  this  unshaken  pillar,  let  us  open  our 
minds  to  the  truths  which  our  holy  mother,  the  Church,  makes 
known  to  us,  and  our  hearts  to  the  precepts  which  she  in  God's 
name  imposes  on  us,  to  the  end,  that  having  followed  the  truth  and 
done  well,  we  may  reach  heaven,  where  we  will  see  God,  face  to 
face,  such  as  He  is,  and  where  that  God  of  goodness  will  make  us 
infinitely  happy. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXI. 
• 

NINTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

MARKS  OF  THE   CHURCH. 


"I  believe  in  One,  Holy,  Catholic,  Apostolic  Church." — NICENE  CREED. 

THE  prophet  Isaias,  speaking  of  the  Church,  compares  it  to  an 
immense  city  built  upon  the  summit  of  a  lofty  mountain,  exposed 
to  the  view  of  all  people,  and  in  which  the  truth  perpetually  dwells. 
The  Church  must  always  be  visible,  so  that  the  people  may  know  it 
and  distinguish  it  from  all  the  sects  which  arrogate  to  themselves 

*  1  Timothy,  iii :  15. 


MARKS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  109 

the  name  of  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  In  fact,  the  Church  is  the 
only  fold  opened  to  the  nations  of  the  earth  by  the  Saviour,  and  it 
is  in  it  alone  that  the  means  of  attaining  salvation  can  be  found. 
Jesus  Christ  alone  can  lead  us  to  heaven,  and  He  dwells  only  in  that 
Church  which  He  himself  established ;  there  alone  He  teaches,  there 
He  instructs,  there  He  bestows  His  graces,  and  there  alone  does  He 
communicate  His  spirit.  Hence  He  willed  that  this  Church,  His 
true  spouse,  should  be  adorned  with  certain  shining  marks,  which 
distinguish  it  from  all  others  in  the  world,  and  which  none  of  the 
sects  can  either  claim  or  counterfeit.  These  marks,  by  which  we 
recognize  the  true  Church,  are  those  of  truth  itself:  Unity, 
Sanctity,  Catholicity  and  Apostolicity, — sacred  marks,  which  the 
Lord  has  granted  only  to  the  One,  Holy,  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
as  you  will  soon  be  convinced. 

Truth  is  essentially  one,  for  God  is  one,  and  God  reveals  the  truth 
to  men.  Our  Saviour  thus  besought  his  heavenly  Father  :  "I  pray 
for  those  who  through  their  word  shall  believe  in  me :  that  they  all 
may  be  one,  as  Thou,  Father,  in  me,  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  us  ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent 
me ; . . .  that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  also  are  one."*  Jesus  Christ, 
therefore,  prayed  that  the  Church  which  He  came  to  establish  in  the 
world  might  be  One;  He  required  that  it  should  be  a  fold,  having  but 
one  shepherd;  a  house,  wherein  all  should  be  subject  to  only  one  head; 
a  body,  all  of  whose  members  should  be  perfectly  united.  Thus  the 
true  Church  must  be  one;  one  in  its  faith,  one  in  its  laws,  one  in  its 
hopes,  one  in  its  head.  Such,  my  Brethren,  is  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church ;  it  is  to  it,  and  to  it  alone,  that  unity  belongs. 

It  is  one  in  its  faith.  Although  spread  all  over  the  earth,  it  pre- 
serves the  apostolic  faith  with  a  wonderful  zeal,  as  if  it  dwelt  but 
in  one  single  mansion.  The  languages  of  the  world  are  different, 
but  the  faith  of  Catholics  is  everywhere  the  same.  Such  as  it  is 
to-day  and  here,  such  has  it  been  everywhere  and  always.  Summon 
from  the  grave  a  Catholic  from  every  country,  and  in  every  one  of 
the  eighteen  hundred  years  which  have  elapsed  since  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Church ;  ask  of  all  these  Catholics  who  lived  without 
knowing  each  other,  without  seeing  each  other, — some  of  whom 

*  St.  John.xvii:  20,  Si,  22. 


HO  SHORT    SERMONS. 

died  a  hundred  years,  some  a  thousand  years  ago,  some  since  the 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century, — ask  them  what  is  their  faith 
and  their  belief,  and  they  will  all  rehearse  for  you  the  creed  which 
the  Church  still  teaches  every  day  to  her  children ;  they  will  all  repeat 
for  you  the  same  dogmas,  the  same  truths,  the  same  points  of  doc- 
trine which  the  Church  still  unfolds  to  you  to-day  through  the  minis- 
try of  its  pastors.  Yes,  the  Catholic  Church  is  one  in  faith,  and  it 
never  has  varied,  because  truth  is  immutable  and  knows  no  change. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  one  in  its  communion  and  in  its 
ministry.  All  her  children  are  subject  to  the  same  authority  and 
participate  in  the  same  sacraments,  the  same  sacrifice,  the  same 
prayers,  the  same  worship.  To  maintain  this  divine  communion, 
Jesus  Christ  instituted  a  ministry,  spread  over  every  part  of  His 
Church,  the  same  everywhere,  and  forming  as  it  were  a  chain  which 
binds  the  earth  to  heaven, — to  Jesus, — to  God. 

Thus,  in  every  diocese  there  is  a  bishop,  having  as  assistants 
priests,  and  other  clergy  of  inferior  ranks,  and  at  the  head  of  all  the 
bishops,  there  is  a  supreme  pontiff,  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the 
whole  world.  The  priest  is  in  communion  with  his  bishop,  the 
bishop  with  the  soverign  pontiff;  the  sovereign  pontiff  is  subject  to 
Jesus  Christ,  who  unites  all  to  God,  His  Father.  Behold  the  links 
of  the  wonderful  and  divine  chain :  the  priest,  the  bishop,  the  Pope, 
Jesus  Christ, — God ;  so  that  the  Christian  who  obeys  his  pastor 
and  hears  him,  obeys  Jesus  Christ  himself, — hears  God  himself ;  all 
are  united  with  each  other  and  united  with  God.  It  is  not  thus 
with  the  sects  separated  from  the  Church.  Among  them  there  is 
no  unity  of  faith.  You  find  there  only  changes  and  contradictions ; 
every  day  introduces  new  creeds, — new  professions  of  faith.  It 
can  not  be  otherwise,  since  every  man  has  the  right  of  framing  his 
religion  to  suit  himself,  or  his  conception  of  right.  Thus,  to  speak 
only  of  Protestantism,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  assert,  that  we  can 
count  their  sects  by  hundreds.  No ;  among  them  there  can  not 
be  truth, — for  among  them  exists  no  unity. 

The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  must  be  Holy.  It  must  be  holy  in 
its  head,  in  its  maxims,  in  its  doctrine,  in  its  sacraments,  in  its  pre- 
cepts, in  the  end  which  it  proposes  to  attain,  and  also  in  its  mem- 
bers ;  and  this  holiness  must  be  made  sensible  so  that  all,  learned 
and  unlearned,  may  recognize  it  as  the  Church  of  the  God  of  holi- 


MARKS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  Ill 

ness.  Hence,  it  was  to  bestow  upon  His  Church  all  sanctity  that 
Christ  died  ;  "  that  He  might  present  it  to  himself  a  glorious 
Church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle,  nor  any  such  thing ;  but  that 
it  should  be  holy  and  without  blemish."* 

Such  is  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  is  holy  in  its  head,  who 
is  Jesus  Christ ;  holy  in  the  doctrine  which  it  teaches  and  in  the 
rules  which  it  prescribes;  holy  in  its  sacraments  and  in  all  the 
practices  which  it  has  instituted  and  approved,  and  at  which  sec- 
tarians cavil  only  because  they  know  neither  their  salutary  influence, 
nor  the  aim  and  spirit  which  dictated  them.  It  is  holy  in  its  mem- 
bers, among  whom  are  found  and  always  will  be  found  true  saints, 
whose  sanctity  is  evinced  by  their  miracles.  The  Catholic  Church, 
therefore,  is  holy,  and  it  alone  can  claim  this  title. 

None  of  the  sects  separated  from  the  Church  can  be  called  holy, 
for  none  of  them  have  Jesus  Christ  or  the  Apostles  for  their  founder 
and  their  head.  They  are  all  the  sad  offsprings  of  proud  minds  and 
corrupt  hearts.  Arius,  Luther  and  Calvin  were  haughty,  scandal- 
ous and  wanton  apostates,  whom  God  and  His  divine  Son  could 
never  have  chosen  to  reform  His  Church. 

The  true  Church  must  be  Catholic,  that  is  to  say,  universal.  Truth 
is  one ;  it  is,  therefore,  the  same  at  all  times  and  in  every  country. 
In  fact,  what  is  true  here  must  be  true  everywhere  /  what  is  true 
to-day  will  not  be  false  to-morrow,  nor  ever.  Now,  the  Church  is 
the  truth  revealed  to  the  world ;  it  must  therefore  be  Catholic  or 
universal,  for  all  time, — for  all  places, — for  truth  must  be  every- 
where and  always  the  same. 

Such  is  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  is  Catholic  or  universal  as 
to  the  doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ.  Such  it  received  them,  eighteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  from  the  lips  of  the  Apostles,  such  has  it  preserved 
them  until  now,  such  does  it  teach  them  at  present.  Nothing  has 
been  added, — not  one  iota  has  been  suppressed,  and  it  has  ever 
driven  from  its  fold  all  who  were  disposed  to  introduce  innovations. 

It  is  Catholic  or  universal  as  to  time.  The  Church  commenced 
with  the  beginning  of  the  world.  The  truths  which  it  teaches  us 
to-day,  were  revealed  to  our  first  parents,  transmitted  by  the  Patri- 
archs, unfolded  in  the  law  of  Moses,  completed  by  the  Gospel  of 

*  Ephesians,  v :  27. 


112  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Jesus  Christ,  intrusted  to  the  Apostles,  and  propagated  by  them 
and  their  successors  throughout  the  whole  universe.  These  same 
truths,  pure  and  undefiled,  will  be  preached  to  the  very  consum- 
mation of  ages,  for  the  Church  will  last  as  long  as  the  world,  and 
its  creed  will  be  the  creed  of  mankind  throughout  all  time. 

It  is  Catholic  or  universal  as  to  place.  God  chose,  says  St. 
Augustine,  that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  should  not  be  limited 
like  earthly  kingdoms  or  heretical  sects,  which  are  confined  to  a 
province  or  a  kingdom.  The  Catholic  Church  invites  all  mankind 
to  enter  its  fold.  It  is  extended  over  the  whole  earth, — it  includes 
all  nations ;  from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other  it  displays  the 
splendor  of  an  united  faith, — the  beauty  of  an  unvarying  doctrine  ; 
and  everywhere,  and  at  every  hour,  Christians  repeat  its  divine 
creed,  and  priests  offer  up  its  adorable  sacrifice. 

It  is  not  so  with  the  sects  cut  off  from  the  Catholic  Church, — 
none  of  these  are  Catholic ;  they  dare  not  even  take  the  name.  God 
willed  that  it  should  be  given  only  to  the  true  spouse  of  Jesus 
Christ, — the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  No,  these  sects  are  not 
Catholic ;  they  do  not  teach  all  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ ;  we 
know  the  limits  within  which  they  are  confined,  and  we  know  the 
time  when  they  were  ushered  into  existence. 

The  true  Church  is  Apostolic.  It  was  to  the  Apostles  that  our 
Saviour  intrusted  the  sacred  deposit  of  truths  which  were  revealed  for 
the  salvation  of  the  world.  It  was  the  Apostles  whom  He  charged  to 
announce  those  truths  to  the  whole  universe  ;  the  true  Church  there- 
fore, must  descend, — must  come  from  the  Apostles ;  the  Holy  Ghost, 
moreover,  declares  that  the  Apostles  are  pillars  of  the  Church. 

Such  is  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  is  Apostolic :  the 
Apostles  founded  it, — imbued  it  with  their  doctrine, — were  its 
first  pastors;  and  their  lawful  successors  govern  it  to-day.  We 
can  trace  back  the  succession  of  our  bishops,  from  the  present  time 
to  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  In  the  See  of  Rome  is  seated  the 
legitimate  successor  of  the  first  Pope.  Beginning  with  Pius  IX,  the 
reigning  head  of  the  Church,  we  can  ascend  the  course  of  ages  through 
an  uninterrupted  succession  of  sovereign  pontiffs  to  St.  Peter, — even 
to  Jesus  Christ  himself.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church,  therefore, 
is  Apostolic, — the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, — the  Church  of  the 
Apostles, — the  Church  of  God, — the  only  true  Church. 


MARKS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  113 

Such  are  not  the  heretical  sects.  Supported  by  historical  truths, 
we  have  the  right  of  asking  them  :  Who  are  you  ?  How  long  have 
you  had  existence  ?  Four  hundred  years  ago  you  were  not  known  ; 
you  did  not  come  from  the  Apostles ;  we  know  your  founders, — 
you  are  of  yesterday, — you  are  not  Apostolic, — you  are  not  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

But  there  is  yet  another  mark  by  which  we  can  easily  recognize 
the  true  Church ;  it  is  that  which  our  divine  Lord  himself  pointed 
out  to  His  disciples,  when  in  His  discourse  to  them  after  the  last 
supper,  He  told  them,  that  as  the  world  had  persecuted  Him,  so 
would  it  also  persecute  them.  Look  then  for  that  religious  society, 
— for  that  Church,  against  which  all  others  have  sworn  an  im- 
placable hatred, — which  the  world  pursues  with  taunts  and  calum- 
nies ;  for  the  Church,  which  "is  placed  as  a  sign  that  must  suffer 
contradiction,"  that,  like  its  divine  Founder,  bears  upon  its  brow  a 
crown  of  thorns, — a  diadem  of  sorrows ;  and  in  it  recognize  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  which  is  that  Church?  Ah,  my 
Brethren,  you  all  know  it.  You  know  that  it  is  none  other  than 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  At  all  times,  and  in  every  land,  has 
the  sword  of  persecution  been  directed  against  the  bosom  of  this 
Church  ;  at  all  times  have  its  members  been  a  mark  for  the  malig- 
nant oppression  of  the  world.  It  alone  is  a  persecuted  Church, — it 
is  a  struggling  Church,  ever  engaged  in  righting  the  world  and  its 
wickedness.  It  alone,  therefore,  is  the  true  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Yes,  my  Catholic  Friends,  such  is  the  true  Church, — that  Church 
which  has  been  established  by  the  Saviour  of  the  world, — propa- 
gated by  the  Apostles, — cemented  by  the  blood  of  martyrs, — the 
Roman  Catholic  Church, — the  only  Church  which  is  truly  One, 
Holy,  Catholic  and  Apostolic. 

In  it  the  Lord  has  deposited  the  treasure  of  truths  which  He  has 
revealed  to  the  world, — that  precious  treasure  of  graces  which 
sanctify  our  souls,  work  out  our  salvation,  and  conduct  us  to 
heaven.  In  it  we  see  the  true  fold  ;  the  only  one  recognized  by  the 
Supreme  Pastor  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  His  heavenly  Father. 
In  it  we  find  that  faithful  flock,  whom  the  good  shepherd  loves,  and 
whom  He  confides  to  the  care  of  those  whom,  on  earth,  He  had 
invested  with  His  divine  authority.  O  !  my  divine  Saviour  !  we 
bless  Thee  from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts,  and  all  the  days  of  our 
10 


114  SHORT    SERMONS. 

lives,  for  the  unspeakable  bounty  which  has  made  choice  of  us, 
among  so  many  nations  which  even  yet  sit  in  the  shades  of  dark- 
ness and  the  shadow  of  death.  Thanks  be  to  Thee,  0  my  God,  for 
having  granted  us  the  happiness  of  being  born  in  the  bosom  of  Thy 
Church,  which  has  brought  us  up  with  so  much  care  and  tenderness, 
which  nourishes  us  so  abundantly  with  the  bread  of  truth  that  it 
alone  possesses,  and  with  the  manna  of  graces  which  it  alone  can 
obtain  for  us,  and  by  which  we  are  enabled  to  do  Thy  holy  will ! 
Yes,  we  shall  forever  love  this  holy  Church, — Thy  faithful  spouse ; 
we  will  hear  and  obey  its  voice,  for  we  wish  to  please  Thee  on  earth 
to  the  end,  that  we  may  deserve  to  see,  love,  and  bless  Thee  in  a 
happy  eternity. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXII. 

NINTH  AKTICLE  OF  THE  CREED.— (CONTINUED.) 

RULE   OF  FAITH. 


"  But  though  we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  a  gospel  to  you  beside  that 
•which  we  have  preached  to  you,  let  him  be  anathema." — GALATIANS,  i  :  8. 

THE  Son  of  God  came  and  dwelt  among  men, — was  made  flesh, 
and  died  on  the  cross  to  redeem  us  from  sin,  that  He  might  sanctify 
us  by  the  truth,  that  He  might  form  for  himself  a  church  without 
spot  or  wrinkle,  and  in  which  He  deposited  the  precious  treasure  of 
heavenly  doctrine,  received  from  the  bosom  of  His  Father.  He 
wished  that  there  should  be  but  one  flock  and  one  shephered,  with 
whom  we  should  all  be  intimately  united,  in  the  unity  of  Faith. 
Thus  He  speaks  to  us  by  the  mouth  of  His  Apostle  :  "I  beseech 
you,  brethren,  that  you  be  united  in  one  Faith ;  that  you  be  careful 
to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace.  Let  there  be  no 
schisms  and  heresies  among  you ;  let  there  be  among  you  all  but 
one  and  the  same  doctrine,  for  there  is  but  one  God,  one  Faith,  one 


RULE    OF    FAITH.  115 

baptism."*  To  be  saved,  then,  to  arrive  at  the  happiness  which 
God  has  destined  for  His  faithful  flock,  we  must  then  be  established 
in  this  unity  of  Faith,  we  must  be  sanctified  by  the  truth  which  has 
come  from  heaven.  We  can  not  too  often  repeat  what  we  can  not 
too  deeply  learn :  permit  me  then,  my  Brethren,  once  more,  to  tell 
you  where  you  will  find  this  sanctifying  truth, — this  saving  Faith. 

"He  that  belie  veth,  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved,  "f  Heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away.  "Though 
we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  a  gospel  to  you  beside  that 
which  we  have  preached  to  you,  let  him  be  anathema. . .  .  One  God, 
one  Faith,  one  baptism.'*  You  know  these  divine  oracles  proceed 
from  the  mouth  of  God  himself,  you  know  that  they  alone  walk  in 
the  road  to  heaven,  who  live  in  the  Faith  and  are  in  the  possession 
of  the  doctrine  which  our  divine  Saviour  revealed  to  the  world. 
But,  my  Brethren,  did  the  Son  of  God  intrust  to  each  one  of  us  in 
particular  the  sacred  deposit  of  truth  ?  If  it  were  so,  truth  would 
soon  cease  to  rule,  or  even  be  known  on  the  earth ;  religion,  the  off- 
spring of  heaven,  and  which  must  be  immutable,  because  it  is  true, 
because  it  is  from  God,  would  soon  become  the  sad  sport  of  human 
opinions  ;  it  would  every  day  undergo  new  changes,  and  perpetually 
vary  according  to  the  fickle  notions  of  men ;  it  would  cease  to  be, 
and  there  soon  would  remain  not  one  stone  upon  another  of  that 
magnificent  edifice,  raised  by  the  hand  of  God,  cemented  by  the 
blood  of  Jesus,  and  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  , 
hell  would  prevail  against  the  Almighty,  and  the  darkness  ot 
error  would  again  overspread  the  earth.  Were  man  the  judgo 
of  his  Faith,  he  would  do  what  he  has  always  done,  and  what 
he  is  doing  this  very  day.  For,  is  there  an  article  of  our  Faith, 
a  truth  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  he  has  not  called 
in  question,  attacked  and  denied  ?  Is  there  an  absurdity,  no 
matter  how  shameful,  no  matter  how  disgraceful,  which  he  has  not 
defended  and  endeavored  to  substantiate  in  place  of  the  truths  which 
God  himself  has  deigned  to  reveal  to  the  world  ?  No,  no,  it  is  not 
true, — that  every  man  is  permitted  to  decide  by  his  own  private 
judgment  what  he  should  believe  or  what  he  should  not  believe  ; 
it  is  not  true  that  the  divine  religion  of  the  Son  of  God  has  been 

*  Ephesians  and  Philippians.  f  St.  Mark,  xvi :  16. 


116  S  II  ORT    SERMONS  . 

abandoned  to  the  vacillating  fancies  of  the  human  mind,  and  that 
we  are  reduced  to  the  sad  necessity  of  seeking  the  truth  from  the  con- 
fused jargon  of  opinions  which  we  see  hatched  every  day.  Where, 
therefore,  is  the  truth  ?  Who  will  tell  us  what  we  must  believe  ? 
We  need  not  seek  it  in  the  dark  pages  of  your  works,  ye  philoso- 
phers, who  will  believe  only  your  reason,  and  follow  no  light  but 
that  of  your  understanding.  Give  back  to  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  restore  to  the  Son  of  God  the  truths  which  you  have 
borrowed  from  Him,  and  what  would  your  much  boasted  writings 
contain  ?  Few,  very  few  truths,  but  an  immense  mass  of  errors. 
Have  you  more  depth  of  genius  and  more  brilliancy  of  intellect 
than  the  great  philosophers  of  antiquity  had  ?  No  :  surely  not. 
Like  them  then,  were  you  thrown  back  on  your  own  resources,  you 
would  grope  along  in  the  dark,  you  would  build  systems  of  religion 
and  morality  which  would  not  survive  a  single  day, — systems 
which  the  slightest  blast  would  overturn  and  destroy,  and  you  are 
therefore,  one  and  all  convicted  of  folly.  In  vain  do  you  seek  to 
impose  your  laws  and  your  doctrines  upon  us  ;  we  will  ever  answer 
you  in  the  words  of  one  of  your  class,  who  here,  however,  fell  upon 
the  truth:  "Philosophers,  your  laws  and  morals  are  sublime;  .  .  . 
but,  where  is  their  sanction?"  You  can  show  none;  your  laws, 
therefore,  have  no  binding  obligation.  Therefore,  we  refuse  to  hear 
and  follow  you,  for  we  know  well  your  system  consists  only  of 
doubts, — leads  only  to  the  denial  of  all  truth.  Who,  therefore,  will 
tell  us  what  we  must  believe  and  what  we  must  do  ? 

The  heretic  answers  me :  God  himself  has  assumed  the  care  of 
instructing  us ;  we  have  the  Holy  Scriptures  :  go,  read  them ;  the 
Bible  is  the  word  of  God.  Yes,  no  doubt,  the  Holy  Scriptures  are 
the  word  of  God,  a  sacred  deposit  of  divine  truths,  a  code  of 
morality ;  but  I  open  the  Bible,  and  I  do  not  understand  every- 
thing I  read  there,  and  I  hear  even  an  Apostle,  St.  Peter,  telling 
me  that  there  are  many  things  in  the  Scriptures  which  are  difficult 
to  be  understood.  What  must  I  do  then?  Must  I  open  and 
investigate  your  numerous  commentaries,  your  voluminous  expo- 
sitions of  the  Bible  ?  The  mystery,  no  doubt,  will  be  there  revealed 
to  me,  and  the  unity  of  doctrine  and  of  faith,  which  our  divine 
Saviour  recommended  to  us,  set  forth  in  all  its  beauty.  Is  this  so  ? 
What  do  I  really  find  among  you  ?  How  many  conflicting  judg- 


RULE   OF    FAITH  .  117 

ments  !  how  many  contrary  ideas,  now  many  contradictory  opinions  ! 
what  confusion  !  what  endless  wrangling!  Forsooth,  you  all  read  the 
Bible,  and  you,  Lutheran, — you  adore  Jesus  Christ, — you  believe 
that  He  is  God  ;  and  you,  Socinian,  you  do  not  believe  it.  You, 
Primitive  Lutheran,  you  believe  that  the  Bible  teaches  the  real  pre- 
sence of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Eucharist ;  but  the  Calvinist,  who  also 
reads  the  Bible,  charges  you  with  error  and  anathematizes  you. 
You  believe  in  the  mysteries,  and  accept  as  unquestionable  the 
miracles  of  our  Lord  ; — but  here  comes  the  Rationalist  who,  for  his 
part,  can  see  in  the  Scriptures  nothing  but  myths  and  allegories. 
You  acknowledge  the  utility,  and  perhaps  the  necessity  of  good 
works  ;  thereby  contradicting  your  founders,  who  declared  good 
works  to  be  useless,  and  even  hurtful  to  salvation.  "The  Bible, 
you  exclaim,  "and  nothing  but  the  Bible;"  but,  be  kind  enough  to 
point  out  to  me  in  the  Gospel,  what  is  of  faith, — what  binds  under 
precept, — and  what  is  merely  of  counsel.  You  can  not  do  it.  No, 
no ;  yours  is  not  the  way  to  learn  what  we  must  believe  and  what 
we  must  practice, — to  learn,  in  a  word,  that  religion  by  which  we 
can  save  our  souls  and  reach  heaven.  What,  indeed,  is  the  state 
of  religion  in  those  countries  which  have  left  the  bosom  of  the 
Catholic  Church?  Having  fallen  away  from  Catholic  unity,  these 
sects  have  been  split  into  an  infinity  of  subdivisions, — they  have 
gone  on  from  error  to  error, — from  one  absurdity  to  another,  until 
at  last  they  have  reached  a  frightful  rationalism,  which  seeks  to 
annihilate  all  revealed  truth,  and  cast  the  nations  of  the  earth  once 
more  into  the  most  hopeless  darkness.  No,  the  Scriptures  are  not 
sufficient ;  all  that  they  contain  are  truths,  but  these  truths  must  be 
pointed  out  to  us  by  a  hand  which  God  has  rendered  infallible  ;  all 
that  they  contain  are  truths,  but  they  themselves  tell  us  that  our 
divine  Lord  has  done  and  said  many  things,  which  have  not  been 
written ;  and  yet  not  one  iota  of  revealed  truth  must  be  lost.  Con- 
descend, 0  my  God,  to  tell  me  in  whose  hands  Thou  hast  deposited 
the  treasure  of  Thy  adorable  doctrine,  and  from  whom  Thou  wishest, 
that  I  should  receive  it  whole  and  entire. 

The  truth  is  not  far  from  us.  Hear  how  our  divine  Saviour 
speaks  to  St.  Peter,  the  prince  of  the  Apostles :  "  Thou  art  Peter, 
and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it.  As  the  Father  sent  me,  I  also  send 


118  SHOUT    SERMONS. 

you."  To  all  the  Apostles  He  says :  Go  ye,  and  teach  all  nations, 
teaching  them  to  observe  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you.  And 
behold,  I  will  be  with  you,  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of 
the  world ;  and  not  only  I  will  be  with  you,  but  I  pray  my  Father 
that  He  may  send  you  another  Comforter,  who  will  dwell  with  you 
forever,  and  teach  you  all  truth.  There  must  then  be  a  chair  of  truth, 
elevated,  visible  and  incorruptible,  to  dispense  true  knowledge  to 
men.  Such  a  chair  was  indispensable,  says  St.  Augustine  ;  there- 
fore the  wisdom  of  God  established  it.  It  exists  then,  this  infalli- 
ble chair,  shedding  on  every  side  the  true  light  which  enlighteneth 
the  world  : — this  chair  is  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, — the  Catholic 
Church, — the  Church  which  has  never  changed,  which  is  always 
the  same,  which  has  ever  driven  from  its  bosom  all  who  would  dare 
attempt  to  make  innovations  in  its  doctrine.  It  is  the  true  fold, 
whose  supreme  Pastor  is  Jesus  Christ;  it  is  the  city  of  light  and  of 
peace,  built  upon  an  immovable  rock,  and  in  which  dwelleth  the 
truth  without  admixture  of  error ;  it  is  the  pillar  and  the  ground 
of  truth.  Christians,  may  we  never  depart  from  this  holy  city ;  let 
us  keep  close  to  this  pillar  reared  by  the  hand  of  God,  and  let  us 
walk  in  the  path  of  truth,  by  the  light  of  that  lamp  lighted  by 
the  Son  of  the  Most  High,  who  deceives  not,  and  who  enlightens 
every  man  that  cometh  into  this  world.  We  will  then  be  there 
where  God  calls  us,  for  there  we  will  ever  find  Jesus  Christ,  who  is 
the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  penetrates 
even  the  depths  of  God  himself. 

My  Brethren,  be  careful,  I  say  to  you  with  St.  Paul ;  hold  fast  the 
unity  of  faith,  lest  you  be  carried  away  by  the  wind  of  false  doc- 
trine, and  by  the  craft  of  men  who  lie  in  wait  to  draw  you  into 
error.  Remember  those  words  of  the  Son  of  God:  "If  any  one 
will  not  hear  the  Church,  let  him  be  to  you  as  a  heathen  and  a  pub- 
lican ;"  as  a  public  sinner,  and  a  man  without  God  and  without 
hope.  Never  suffer  yourselves  to  be  seduced  by  false  prophets ; 
avoid  the  discourses  of  these  proud  and  hypocritical  men,  who,  as 
St.  Peter  says,  wrest  the  sense  of  the  Scriptures  to  their  own  per- 
dition. Fly  those  false  teachers  who,  rejecting  the  truths  revealed 
by  God,  flatter  the  corrupt  desires  and  bad  passions  of  the  human 
heart  by  false,  deceitful  words.  But  come  to  the  school  which 
Jesus  has  opened  among  us,  come  to  the  chair  of  Peter,  the  sole 


COMMUNION    OF   SAINTS.  119 

depository  of  the  doctrine  that  came  from  heaven ;  there  alone 
will  you  find  true  light,  divine  grace,  the  words  of  life,  of  eternal 
life. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXIII. 

NINTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED.— (CONTINUED.) 

COMMUNION   OF   SAINTS. 


"  Giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father,  who  hath  made  us  worthy  to  be  partakers 
of  the  lot  of  the  saints  in  light." — COLOSSIANS,  i :  12. 

THE  ninth  article  of  our  creed  is  thus  set  forth :  "  The  Holy  Cath- 
olic Church,  the  Communion  of  Saints."  I  have  already  explained 
to  you  the  first  part ;  I  have  told  you  what  is  this  Church,  founded 
by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  what  characteristic  marks  you 
can  distinguish  it  from  all  the  sects  that  dare  boast  of  being  that 
holy  fold,  of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Supreme  Pastor ;  of  being 
the  church  which  He  has  firmly  built  upon  a  rock,  and  against 
which  the  gates  of  hell  can  never  prevail.  You  know  now  that 
this  church,  one,  holy,  Catholic  and  Apostolic,  is  the  Church  of 
Rome,  in  which  you  have  had  the  happiness  of  being  born.  It 
remains  for  me  now  to  explain  the  second  part  of  the  ninth  article, 
which  is  the  Communion  of  Saints.  Give  me  your  undivided 
attention. 

When  good  Christians  are  called  out  of  this  life  by  God,  they  do 
not  cease  to  belong  to  the  Catholic  Church,  and  to  be  still  children 
of  the  spouse  of  Jesus  Christ.  While  some  of  her  children  still 
wage  war  upon  earth,  against  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil, 
the  enemies  of  all  God's  servants  ;  others,  already  victorious  in  the 
fearful' combat,  triumph  and  rejoice  in  heaven;  and  others  again 
suffer  great  pains  in  purgatory,  in  expiation  of  the  faults,  which 
through  human  frailty,  they  have  committed,  and  for  which  they 


120  8  II  OK  T   SERMONS. 

had  not  entirely  satisfied  the  divine  justice  when  death  came  to 
call  them  to  judgment.  Hence  the  Church  is  usually  divided  into 
the  Church  Militant,  the  Church  Triumphant,  and  the  Church  Suf- 
fering. 

The  Church  Militant  is  composed  of  the  Saints  who  are  still  on 
earth ;  it  is  this  visible  Church,  whose  members  are  here  below 
engaged  in  battle  with  the  enemy  of  their  salvation.  All  indeed 
are  not  Saints,  although  the  Apostle  calls  them  such ;  but  all  should 
and  could  become  Saints,  and  all  have  been  stamped  with  the  seal 
of  sanctity  in  their  baptism. 

The  Church  Triumphant  is  composed  of  the  Saints  in  heaven. 
It  is  that  glorious  Church  of  which  St.  Paul  speaks ;  that  Church 
perfectly  holy,  where  there  is  neither  stain,  nor  spot,  nor  wrinkle, 
nor  any  such  thing ;  it  is  that  City  of  God,  that  Heavenly  Jerusa- 
lem, whence  death  is  forever  banished,  and  where  tears,  and  weeping, 
and  sorrow  shall  be  no  more,  because  these  things  have  passed  away 
for  those  who  inhabit  it. 

Finally,  the  Church  Suffering  is  formed  by  the  Saints  in  purga- 
tory, where  the  souls  of  the  faithful  are  detained,  who  have  departed 
this  life  in  the  grace  of  God,  but  in  whom  His  all-seeing  eye  has 
discovered  faults  not  yet  fully  expiated,  and  stains  which  must  be 
purified  in  the  crucible  of  sufferings,  before  they  can  be  admitted  to 
the  Beatific  Vision.  For  as  nothing  defiled  can  enter  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  these  holy  souls  will  be  excluded  from  it  until  the  fire  of 
purgatory  will  have  taken  away  their  least  stain,  and  rendered  them 
pure  and  white  as  snow. 

Whether  carrying  on  a  warfare  on  earth,  reigning  with  Jesus 
Christ  in  heaven,  or  suffering  in  purgatory,  the  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church  are  all  united  to  one  another,  by  mutual  relations, 
and  by  indissoluble  ties.  This  union  we  call,  with  the  Apostles, 
the  Communion  of  Saints.  It  consists  in  a  union  of  the  Saints  on 
earth  among  themselves,  a  union  of  the  Saints  on  earth  with  the 
Saints  in  heaven,  a  union  of  the  Saints  on  earth  with  the  Saints  in 
purgatory. 

How  are  the  Saints  on  earth  united  among  themselves  ?  On 
earth,  all  constitute  one  and  the  same  kingdom,  one  and  the  same 
family,  and  the  Barbarian  and  Scythian,  bond  and  free,  all  are  but 
one  in  Christ  Jesus,  says  the  Apostle.  All  form  one  and  the 


C  O  M  M  U  N  I  O  N    O  F    S  A  I  N  T  S  .  121 

same  body,  of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head,  and  of  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  the  soul  and  the  life.  In  this  body,  each  member 
receives  gifts,  and  performs  actions,  which  are  his  property,  but 
which  at  the  same  time  also  are  for  the  benefit  of  all.  Jesus  Christ 
has  bequeathed  to  His  Church  all  spiritual  blessings  as  her  dowry 
and  inheritance.  It  is  in  common,  therefore,  that  we  possess  them, 
and  the  virtue  of  each  particular  Christian  becomes  a  benefit  to  the 
whole  society  in  such  a  way,  that  every  faithful  soul  in  the  Church 
can  say,  that  he  has  his  part  in  the  merits  of  all  those  who  fear 
the  Lord  and  keep  His  commandments.  Yes,  my  Brethren,  each 
faithful  Christian  partakes  in  all  the  prayers  which  are  offered  in 
the  Church,  in  all  the  virtues  which  are  practised  within  her  pale, 
in  all  the  graces  which  her  children  receive,  in  all  the  merits  which 
they  acquire,  in  all  the  talents,  in  all  the  titles,  in  all  the  sublime 
deeds  which  we  so  much  admire,  in  all  the  victories  which  they 
have  achieved,  and  in  all  the  wonders  which  they  have  performed. 
The  abundance  of  one  supplies  the  want  of  another.  All  these  good 
works  form,  as  it  were,  an  immense  treasure,  from  which  all  are 
invited  to  draw  salvation  and  sancification.  And  what  is  particu- 
larly touching  in  this  beautiful  Communion  of  Saints,  is  that  sin- 
ners, even  the  most  guilty,  are  not  absolutely  excluded,  as  long  as 
they  remain  in  the  Church  and  preserve  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ. 
They  are  dead  branches,  it  is  true,  but  still  hanging  to  the  tree  ; 
they  can  revive  and  bloom  again,  and  once  more  bring  forth  good 
fruits.  They  are  the  unnatural  children  of  the  most  affectionate  of 
mothers ;  but  the  Church  preserves  toward  them  all  her  natural 
tenderness ;  she  intercedes  in  their  behalf  as  if  each  one  were  her 
only  child,  and  though  their  sins  deprive  them  of  all  these  spiritual 
benefits,  which  they  can  not  possess  without  being  in  the  state  of 
grace,  nevertheless,  they  have  a  large  share  in  the  unspeakable 
groanings  which  the  Church  continually  sends  up  to  heaven  to  ob- 
tain the  grace  of  perseverance  for  the  just  and  the  grace  of  con- 
version for  sinners. 

There  is  a  Communion  of  Saints  on  earth  ;  hence  the  Apostles 
exhort  Christians  to  remain  always  united  in  mind  and  heart,  to 
entertain  a  truly  fraternal  affection  and  tenderness  toward  each  other, 
helping  each  other  by  mutual  assistance,  and  above  all,  "  to  pray 
for  one  another,  so  that  all  maybe  saved."  This  mutual  affection — 
11 


1'2'2  SHORT    SERMONS.  , 

this  brotherly  love — the  soul  of  the  Communion  of  Saints,  in  the 
Church  militant,  is  also  the  bond  of  intimate  union  which  unites 
the  children  of  the  Church  militant  with  the  Saints  of  the  Church 
triumphant.  "These  Saints  are  seated  on  the  same  throne  with 
Jons  Christ,  as  Jesus  Christ  is  seated  on  the  same  throne  with  His 
Father,"  says  St.  John  the  Apostle ;  that  is  to  say,  they  are  insep- 
arably united  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  reign  with  Him  in  His  glory. 
We  have  nothing  then  to  ask  for  the  Saints  who  are  in  heaven. 
Their  sanctity,  like  their  happiness,  is  beyond  the  reach  of  danger ; 
they  have  no  need  of  our  prayers ;  but  they  know  how  much  we 
stand  in  need  of  theirs.  "They  see  in  the  light  of  Jesus  Christ," 
says  St.  Paulinus,  "things  the  most  secret  and  the  most  distant; 
they  see  all  things  in  God,  in  whom  all  are  contained."  Jesus 
Christ  says  to  them  :  I  do  not  call  you  servants  any  more,  because 
the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  master  does;  but  I  call  you 
friends,  because  I  have  nothing  hidden  from  you.  "  They  know 
in  heaven  infinitely  better  than  on  earth,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  our 
affections,  our  desires,  our  miseries,  our  weaknesses,  our  cares,  our 
temptations,  our  dangers,  our  misfortunes ;  they  do  not  forget  that 
they  are  still  our  brethren  ;  they  take  a  lively  interest  in  every  thing 
that  regards  our  welfare ;  they  pray,  and,  as  friends  of  the  Saviour, 
they  obtain  for  us  the  graces  which  we  so  much  need." 

Behold,  what  the  Saints  do  for  us.  And  we,  on  our  part,  honor 
them  as  the  blessed  children  of  God,  we  take  them  as  our  models, 
we  love  them  as  friends,  we  invoke  them  as  protectors,  and  in  this 
flowing  and  reflowing  of  charity  we  find  an  abundant  source  of 
succors  and  blessings. 

But,  while  we  receive  from  the  Saints  of  heaven  aid  and  assist- 
ance, there  are  other  souls  much  cherished  by  God,  who  have 
recourse  to  us,  and  implore  our  prayers  and  intercession :  these  are 
the  faithful  departed.  They  died,  it  is  true,  in  the  grace  of  God, 
but  their  love  was  not  sufficiently  perfect  to  efface  all  the  remains 
of  their  sins;  they  are,  therefore,  "saved,  but  so  as  by  fire."  They 
suffer  and  will  continue  to  suffer,  until  they  have  discharged  their 
entire  debt.  They  are  unable  to  help  themselves,  but  we  can  assist 
them,  for  we  can  obtain  grace  and  mercy  for  ourselves  and  for  them. 
We  offer  for  the  repose  of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  prayers  and 
sacrifices;  for  the  Holy  Ghost  says,  "  it  is  a  holy  and  a  wholesome 


COMMUNION    OF   SAINTS.  123 

thought  to  pray  for  the  dead,  that  they  may  be  loosed  from  their 
sins."  The  poor  man  offers  his  prayers  for  the  suffering  souls,  and 
thereby  relieves  and  delivers  them.  The  rich, — the  man  to  whom 
the  Lord  has  intrusted  a  part  of  the  good  things  of  this  world, 
draws  upon  his  treasury  and  gives  to  the  poor  in  behalf  of  the  souls 
in  purgatory,  and  his  alms  cover  and  blot  out  in  the  other  world  a 
multitude  of  sins.  Oh,  how  beautiful,  how  sweet  and  consoling  it 
is  to  be  able  to  say,  that  even  a  penny  given  to  buy  bread  for  the 
destitute,  can  deliver  a  poor  soul  from  its  frightful  sufferings,  and 
give  it  a  place  at  the  banquet  of  the  Lord,  in  the  eternal  mansions ! 
Let  us  pray  then  for  the  souls  in  purgatory  ;  let  us  give  alms,  let 
us  perform  good  works,  and  let  us  ask  God  to  apply  the  merit  of 
them  to  the  suffering  souls,  and  be  sure>  my  Brethren,  that  we  shall 
obtain,  if  not  their  entire  deliverance,  at  least  the  remission  of  a 
portion  of  their  debts,  a  diminution  of  sufferings  for  them,  and 
abundant  consolation  for  ourselves.  Ah!  my  Brethren,  is  not 
gratitude  the  virtue  of  the  Saints  ?  The  holy  souls,  whom  we  will 
deliver  by  our  prayers,  will  pray  for  us,  and  God  will  grant  us 
graces  to  assist  us  to  persevere  in  truth  and  virtue, — in  the  way  of 
faith  and  salvation. 

Behold,  my  Brethren,  this  beautiful  and  divine  Communion  of 
Saints,  your  belief  in  which  from  your  childhood,  you  have  learned 
to  profess  every  time  you  repeated  the  Apostles'  Creed.  Let  us 
never  forget  it.  Let  us  congratulate  ourselves  on  belonging  to  this 
holy  Church,  out  of  which,  no  one  can  have  part  in  the  Commu- 
nion of  Saints ;  let  us  keep  ourselves  closely  united  to  the  Saints 
on  earth,  meriting,  by  our  piety,  the  privilege  of  partaking  in  all 
the  good  works  they  perform  ;  to  the  Saints  in  purgatory,  by  seizing 
with  pious  eagerness  every  occasion  of  aiding  them  by  our  prayers 
and  good  works  ;  to  the  Saints  in  heaven,  by  devoutly  and  sincerely 
imploring  the  assistance  of  their  prayers  and  their  powerful  inter- 
cession with  God  ;  that  walking  in  their  footsteps  and  imitating 
their  virtues,  we  may  merit  to  be  one  day  admitted  into  their  tri- 
umphant society,  to  enjoy  in  the  bosom  of  Abraham  the  eternal 
delights  of  the  blessed. — AMEN. 


124  SHORT    SERMONS. 

SERMON  XXIV. 

THE  TENTH  AND  ELEVENTH  ARTICLES  OF  THE  CEEED. 

FORGIVENESS  OF  SINS  AND  RESURRECTION  OF 
THE  BODY. 


"  I  believe  in  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  the  resurrection  of  the  body." — APOSTLES' 
CREED. 

IN  my  last  instruction,  my  Brethren,  I  endeavored  to  explain  to 
you  what  is  understood  by  the  communion  of  saints.  We  acknowl- 
edge in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  a  holy  community  of  spiritual 
goods  and  riches,  which  our  divine  Saviour  has  established  between 
the  different  members  that  compose  this  great  body  of  which  He  is 
the  head.  Happy  communion  of  saints,  that  makes  us  partakers 
of  the  good  works  and  merits  of  all  our  brethren  in  Jesus  Christ, 
and  establishes  such  sweet  and  precious  relations  between  the  saints 
of  heaven,  the  saints  on  earth,  and  the  saints  in  purgatory  !  To- 
day, my  Brethren,  I  wish  to  direct  your  attention  to  two  other 
articles  of  our  creed,  which  are  thus  expressed:  "  The  Forgiveness 
of  Sins,  the  Resurrection  of  the  Body."  The  exposition  of  these 
two  dogmas  of  our  holy  religion  is  of  great  moment  to  all  Chris- 
tians; I  therefore  hope  that  you  will  pay  a  due  attention. 

What  does  the  tenth  article  of  our  creed, — "the  Forgiveness  of 
Sins,"  teach  us?  This  inestimable  article  of  our  faith  discloses  to 
us  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  which  the  bounty  of  God  has 
granted  to  man.  Can  our  mind  conceive  a  more  endearing  or  more 
consoling. truth,  than  that  contained  in  these  few  words, — "the 
Forgiveness  of  Sins?"  Yes,  we  firmly  believe,  and  with  a  cer- 
tainty founded  on  the  word  of  God,  that  our  bountiful  Saviour  has 
intrusted  to  the  wisdom  of  His  Church,  the  sovereign  power  of 
Forgiving  Sins,  and  has  opened  in  the  bosom  of  the  holy  city  this 
abundant  source  of  consolation  and  peace.  We  were  conceived  in 


FORGIVENESS    OF   SINS.  125 

sin,  "  we  were  born  children  of  wrath/'  as  the  Holy  Ghost  declares  to 
us  ;  every  day  we  learn  more  and  more  our  own  weakness,  and  we 
find  it  to  be  immense.  In  fact,  too  often  is  our  soul  stained  with 
sin,  for  the  just  man  falls  seven  times  a  day.  But  does  not  the 
word  of  God  declare  that  nothing  impure,  nothing  defiled,  shall  ever 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ?  What  then  would  have  become  of 
us,  how  great  would  be  our  despair,  did  not  the  cheering  light  of 
faith  show  us  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church  an  inexhaustible  treasure 
of  bounty  and  mercy  ?  Yes,  we  can  yet  attain  heaven,  for  in  the 
Church  there  is  Forgiveness  of  Sins. 

But  let  us  understand  well  the  meaning  of  this  article  of  our 
creed.  To  whom  has  our  Lord  and  Saviour  given  power  to  For- 
give Sins?  This  power,  which  He  possesses  by  His  own  nature, 
for  He  is  God ;  this  power,  which  He  obtained  by  the  efficacy  of 
His  merits,  in  His  quality  of  Saviour,  He  has  communicated  by 
grace  to  His  Church,  because  it  is  His  spouse.  This  truly  divine 
power, — the  greatest  that  can  be  given  to  man,  Jesus  has  commu- 
nicated to  men,  and  even  to  sinners ;  not  to  all  men,  not  to  all  the 
children  of  the  Church,  but  to  His  Apostles,  to  those  whom  He 
has  appointed  to  the  government  and  care  of  His  flock.  To  them, 
He  says :  "  Whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven ;  whose 
.sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained."  Divine  Saviour,  God, 
Thy  Father,  sent  Thee  among  us  to  destroy  sin,  to  blot  out  the 
iniquity  of  the  world,  to  save  poor  sinners ;  be  Thou  praised,  O  my 
Jesus  !  Thou  hast  accomplished  the  will  of  Thy  Father,  and  behold, 
to  complete  Thy  divine  work,  and  continue  Thy  heavenly  mission, 
Thou  didst  command  Thy  Apostles  to  go  and  preach  to  all  nations 
that  the  justice  of  God  had  been  satisfied  on  Calvary,  that  heaven 
was  again  thrown  open  to  man,  and  that  the  sins  Thy  ministers 
would  forgive,  should  be  forgiven,  and  the  sins  they  would  retain, 
should  be  retained. 

It  was  to  the  Church  in  the  person  of  the  Apostles,  that  our 
bountiful  Saviour  granted  this  supreme  power  of  Forgiving  Sins  : 
it  will  always  subsist,  for  the  Church  will  subsist  to  the  very  end 
of  time,  and  there  will  always  be  sinners  to  seek  grace  and  pardon. 
This  divine  power  passed  from  the  Apostles  to  their  successors,  and 
these  communicate  it  to  priests  at  the  moment  they  impart  to  them 
the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  imposition  of  hands.  The  fruits  of  Christ's 


126  8HOBT    SERMONS. 

death  will  last  forever ;  it  must,  therefore,  be  perpetually  applied 
and  communicated ;  the  remission  of  sins  will,  therefore,  always  be 
continued  in  the  Church  till  the  consummation  of  the  world.  Jesus 
Christ  will  be  with  His  Church  to  the  very  end  of  ages,  and  every 
day  He  will  employ  the  tongues  and  the  hands  of  His  priests  to 
remit  the  sins  of  men  ;  not  some  sins,  but  all  sins,  no  matter  how 
enormous  they  may  be,  no  matter  how  numerous. 

But  how  shall  we  obtain  the  pardon  of  our  sins  ?  Principally, 
my  Brethren,  by  receiving  those  sacraments  instituted  by  our  Sa- 
viour, Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  especially  baptism 
and  penance.  It  was  to  these  sacred  signs  our  Saviour  was  pleased 
to  attach  His  grace.  When  the  holy  water  of  baptism  was  poured 
upon  your  heads,  you  were  washed,  purified  from  original  sin,  and 
from  all  actual  sin,  which  you  had  committed  since  your  birth ;  you 
were  justified  and  regenerated  in  Jesus  Christ,  and,  children  of 
wrath  as  you  were,  you  became  the  children  of  God  by  grace.  But 
there  are  few  who  preserve  the  grace  of  this  baptism ;  there  are 
few  who  keep  without  stain  the  beautiful  robes  of  innocence  with 
which  they  were  clothed  at  the  moment  of  their  regeneration. 
Therefore  our  divine  Lord  instituted  the  sacrament  of  penance,  in 
which  we  can  obtain  Forgiveness  of  Sins  committed  after  baptism. 
In  it  we  find  a  second  plank  after  shipwreck.  "It  is  the  second 
gate,"  as  Tertullian  calls  it,  "which  God  placed  in  His  city,  that 
those  who  knock  might  enter ;  it  was  placed  there,  as  baptism  can 
be  received  but  once,  that,  after  this  door  of  innocence  was  closed, 
the  misfortune  of  sinners  might  not  be  without  resource."  These 
two  inestimable  sacraments,  therefore,  are  justly  called  the  sacra- 
ments of  the  dead  ;  in  fact,  they  raise  us  from  the  spiritual  death 
inflicted  on  the  soul  by  sin,  and  restore  us  to  life  by  reestablishing 
us  in  grace. 

I  doubt  not  that  the  sentiments  which  reign  in  your  souls,  are 
those  of  the  most  profound  gratitude  toward  God.  You  justly 
owe  it  to  the  Lord,  my  Brethren,  for  His  bounty  has  granted  you  to 
be  born  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church  established  by  His  divine  Son, 
in  the  bosom  of  the  only  spouse  of  Jesus,  to  which  alone  He  granted 
the  high  and  truly  divine  power  of  remitting  sins.  It  is  there,  and 
there  only,  that  you  will  obtain  pardon  for  the  faults  which  sully 
your  souls ;  it  is  there  only  that  fallen  man  can  be  restored  to  life, — 


RES  UKUECTION    OF    THE    BODY,  127 

to  grace,  and  can  advance  toward  the  endless  happiness  of  heaven, 
where  virtue  finds  its  recompense.  Alas  !  our  lot  would  have  been 
most  deserving  of  pity, — most  unfortunate,  if  God,  in  punishment 
of  our  infidelity  to  His  service,  had  refused  to  grant  us  the  pardon 
of  our  sins ;  if  He  had  taken  from  us  the  hope  of  being  ever  restored 
to  His  favor.  Our  misfortune  would  have  been  irremediable,  and  wo 
would  all  have  been  victims  of  the  devouring  fire  of  hell ;  for  who 
among  us  dare  flatter  himself  that  he  has  never  committed  one  sin- 
gle mortal  sin  from  the  day  he  was  baptised  ?  Let  us  then  bless 
from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts  the  divine  mercy,  for  an  immense 
favor  has  been  betowed  upon  us,  an  adorable  grace  imparted  to  us 
from  heaven  !  God  condescends  to  promise  the  pardon  of  our  sins, 
and,  to  merit  it  for  us,  the  Son  of  God  shed  every  drop  of  His 
blood !  But  is  it  not  with  difficulty  we  can  obtain  this  pardon, 
which  is  the  price  of  the  death  of  a  God  ?  How  great  is  the  charity 
of  the  Lord,  since,  to  restore  us  to  His  grace  and  His  love,  He  re- 
quires only  a  sincere  repentance  and  a  frank  and  open  avowal  of 
our  sins,  in  the  tribunal  of  penance.  But  do  not  deceive  your- 
selves; without  repentance,  there  is  no  pardon:  "God  is  just  as 
well  as  merciful,"  says  St.  Fulgencius;  "His  justice  prevents  Him 
from  overlooking  sin,  as  His  mercy  prevents  Him  from  refusing 
pardon  to  the  repenting  sinner."  You  ask  of  me  salvation, 
says  the  Lord  to  us,  and  on  my  part  I  require  from  you  the  con- 
version of  your  heart.  Do  what  I  command,  and  you  shall 
have  what  I  promise.  "Be  converted  to  me,  and  you  shall  be 
saved."*  "He  will  not  reject  the  humble  and  contrite  heart, 
and  He  always  yields  to  the  sacrifice  of  the  tears  of  penance, — to 
those  tears  which  are  the  blood  of  the  heart,"  as  St.  Augustine  says. 
Behold,  my  Brethren,  the  consoling  doctrine  contained  in  this 
article  of  the  creed,  "the  Forgiveness  of  Sins."  What  is  prom- 
ised us  by  the  other  part  of  the  article,  "  the  Resurrection  of  the 
Body?"  "  Thy  dead  men  shall  live,"  says  Isaias ;  "  my  slain  shall 
rise  again"f  saith  the  Lord.  And  again:  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
concerning  these  dry  bones:  "ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  to  these  bones  :  behold,  I  will  send 
spirit  into  you,  and  you  shall  live.  And  I  will  lay  sinews  upon  you, 

*  Isaias,  xlv :  22.  t  Isaias,  xxvi :  19. 


128  SHORT    SERMONS. 

and  will  cause  flesh  to  grow  over  you,  and  will  cover  you  with  skin  : 
and  I  will  give  you  spirit ;  and  you  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord."* 
On  the  last  day  our  souls  will  be  again  united  to  our  bodies, — to 
those  bodies  which  we  have  at  present,  and  which  soon  will  be  laid 
in  the  grave.  Yes,  we  can  all  repeat  those  beautiful  words  of  holy 
Job  :  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth ;  and  in  the  last  day  I  shall 
rise  out  of  the  earth :  And  I  shall  be  clothed  again  with  my  skin, 
and  in  my  flesh  I  shall  see  my  God ;  whom  I  myself  shall  see, 
and  my  eyes  shall  behold :  this  my  hope  is  laid  up  in  my  bosom." \ 

It  will  be  so,  my  Brethren,  for  the  Son  of  God  himself  has  said 
it:  "  Amen,  amen  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  hour  cometh,  when  the 
dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God.  . . .  Wonder  not  at 
this ;  for  the  hour  cometh,  wherein  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall 
hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God ;  and  they  that  have  done  good, 
shall  come  forth  unto  the  Resurrection  of  life  ;  but  they  that  have 
done  evil,  unto  the  Resurrection  of  judgment. "J  Behold  the  reason 
why  we  shall  be  called  to  life  again;  it  is  "that  every  one  may 
receive  the  proper  things  of  the  body,"  which  was  the  instrument  of 
the  soul,  "  according  as  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  evil."§ 

There  will  be  a  great  difference,  as  far  as  regards  the  bodies,  in 
the  Resurrection  of  the  dead.  The  bodies  of  the  just  will  rise  from 
the  tomb,  radiant  and  glorious ;  they  will,  says  the  Holy  Ghost, 
shine  like  stars  in  the  firmament,  and  thus  they  will  ascend  to  the 
abode  of  eternal  delights.  The  frightful  hideousness  of  sin  will  be 
depicted  in  every  feature  of  the-  face,  and  in  every  part  of  the  sin- 
ner's body ;  the  reprobate  will  be  horrified  at  his  own  appearance, 
and  will  precipitate  himself  into  the  dreadful  torments  of  hell.  Oh  ! 
my  Brethren,  the  Resurrection  of  the  dead,  like  the  general  judg- 
ment, is  a  terrible,  though  consoling  truth  !  Let  us  meditate  upon 
it  frequently  and  with  attention ;  it  will  inspire  us  with  the  fear  of 
sin  and  animate  us  to  the  love  of  virtue ;  it  will  console  us  when 
pressed  down  by  grief  and  disappointment;  it  will  fortify  us  in  our 
sorrows,  encourage  us  in  our  labors,  and  support  us  in  adversity. 
I  will  be  rewarded  both  in  my  soul  and  my  body,  if  I  do  good ;  I 
will  do  so,  for  I  wish  to  attain  heaven.  The  remembrance  of  my 
past  sins  shall  not  frighten  me ;  for  the  Lord  makes  it  a  duty  for  me 

•Ezech.,xxxvii:4— 6.  f  Job,xix  :2;">— 27.    J  John,  v  :  25, 28, 29.  §20or.,v:10. 


THE   TWO    ETERNITIES.  129 

to  believe  firmly  in  His  mercy,  and  He  promises  me  the  pardon  of 
my  sins,  if  I  repent  of  them  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I  will 
place  confidence  in  the  tenderness  of  my  mother,  the  Church,  the 
spouse  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  received  from  her  heavenly  bride- 
groom, an  omnipotent  gift  of  mercy.  I  will  tell  her  of  my  repent- 
ance, and  she  will  open  to  me  the  gates  of  a  happy  eternity. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXV. 

TWELFTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED. 

THE  TWO  ETERNITIES. 


"  And  life  everlasting." — APOSTLES'  CREED. 

"  THE  Lord  God  holds  the  whole  world  in  His  hand  ;  for  Him 
nothing  is  afar  off;  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  He  could  collect  all 
the  ashes  of  the  dead,  all  the  parts  of  our  bodies  which  have  been 
devoured  by  the  fish,  by  the  birds,  or  by  insects,  and  which  perhaps 
have  been  carried  to  places  the  most  remote  from  each  other."* 
Faith  also  teaches  us  that  our  bodies  will  come  forth  alive  from  the 
darkness  of  the  grave,  and  that  we  shall  see  with  our  own  eyes  the 
coming  of  the  Sovereign  Judge.  We  must  all  appear  before  the 
tribunal  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  each  one  among  us  may  receive,  in 
his  soul  and  in  his  body,  according  to  the  good  or  the  bad  deeds 
which  he  did,  during  his  pilgrimage  in  this  world.  Behold,  my 
Brethren,  the  truth  which  formed  the  subject  of  our  last  instruction. 
To-day,  we  will  explain  this  important  and  last  article  of  the 
creed, — "life  everlasting."  What  is  this  life  everlasting,  which  the 
twelfth  article  of  the  creed  announces  to  us  ?  It  is  the  life  which 
at  the  moment  of  our  death  begins  for  us,  in  heaven  or  in  hell,  and 
which  will  never  have  an  end.  The  life  of  eternal  happiness  in 
heaven,  or  of  eternal  misery  in  hell.  Every  man  who  believes  in 

*  St.  Cyril's  Cathechism,  c.  18. 


130  SHORT    SEKMONS. 

God  must  necessarily  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  heaven, — where 
virtue  is  recompensed,  and  in  the  existence  of  a  hell,  where  vice  is 
punished ;  for,  if  on  the  one  hand,  God  is  worthily  honored  and 
faithfully  served  in  this  world,  on  the  other,  it  can  not  be  denied 
that  He  is  sadly  offended,  and  offended  with  impunity.  Now,  can 
any  one  believe  that  God  is  just,  and  not  be  convinced  that  He  will 
recompense  those  who  serve  Him,  and  that  sooner  or  later  He 
will  punish  those  who  offend  Him?  If  He  afflicts  the  just  man 
and  permits  him  to  suffer  in  this  world,  it  is  because  He  reserves 
for  him  hereafter  a  glorious  recompense.  If  He  allows  those  who 
insult  and  outrage  Him,  to  enjoy  the  peace  and  comforts  of  this 
life,  it  is  because  He  prepares  for  them  a  terrible  retribution  after 
death.  Yes,  there  is  an  eternal  life,  where  He  will  render  to  every 
one  according  to  his  works :  the  good  and  the  virtuous  who  are 
now  deprived  of  earthly  enjoyments,  will  be  crowned  with  bliss  and 
glory ;  the  wicked  who  go  unpunished,  and  who  often  have  all  the 
comforts  of  worldly  prosperity,  will  then  feel  the  effects  of  His 
vengeance.  To  convince  us  of  this  truth,  says  Tertullian,  we  have 
no  need  to  seek  for  proofs,  since  our  divine  Lord  has  expressly  de- 
clared it,  nor  need  we  make  long  researches  after  what  the  Evan- 
gelist has  told  us. 

This  doctrine,  so  terrible  and  at  the  same  time  so  consoling,  was 
often  recalled  to  the  minds  of  the  disciples  by  the  Son  of  God ; 
He  constantly  spoke  to  them  of  a  future  life, — of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven, — of  a  kingdom  which  was  not  of  this  world,  where  He 
would  be  forever  with  His  triumphant  Church.  He  told  them 
that  when  sufferings  and  afflictions  came  upon  them,  that  they 
should  not  be  discouraged,  but  rejoice  and  be  glad,  and  that  they 
should  cast  their  eyes  toward  heaven,  because  there  a  great  recom- 
pense awaited  them.  He  forewarned  them  of  the  persecutions 
which  they  would  have  to  suffer  in  this  world ;  but  He  also  said  to 
them:  "  Fear  not  those  that  kill  the  body,  and  €an  not  kill  the 
soul :  but  rather  fear  Him  that  can  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in 
hell."*  We  likewise  hear  the  voice  of  our  Saviour  proclaiming 
the  existence  of  an  eternal  life,  when  He  pronounces  the  last  sen- 
tence upon  the  world,  upon  all  men  assembled  together  at  the  foot 

*  St.  Matthew,  x  :  28. 


T  H  E    T  W  O    E  T  E  K  N  I T I  E  S  .  131 

of  His  tribunal,  in  the  valley  of  judgment.  To  the  just  He  says : 
"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  possess  the  kingdom  prepared  for 
you,  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  But  to  the  wicked: 
"  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  which  was  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  And  these,"  add  the  Evangelist, 
"  shall  go  into  everlasting  punishment ;  but  the  just,  into  life  ever- 
lasting."* 

The  just  shall  go  into  life  everlasting,  where  God  becomes  the 
great  recompense  of  those  who  loved  Him  on  earth.  They  will 
see  Him  in  himself,  and  in  His  own  substance ;  they  will  contem- 
plate His  beauty,  His  wisdom,  His  justice,  His  goodness,  His 
mercy,  and  all  His  infinite  perfections.  God  communicates  himself 
to  His  friends,  in  heaven  ;  they  have  the  happiness  of  loving  Him, 
of  blessing  Him,  and  of  perpetually  glorifying  Him;  they  possess 
Him,  and  are  bound  to  Him  by  the  most  endearing  and  the  most 
indissoluble  ties ;  they  no  more  fear  being  ever  separated  from  Him  ; 
they  will  be  forever  in  the  beautiful  kingdom  of  heaven,  seated 
eternally  at  the  banquet  of  the  Lamb,  plunged  in  the  torrent  of  the 
pure  delights  of  the  paradise  of  Jesus, — in  that  unspeakable  happi- 
ness which  the  Apostle  who  saw  it,  could  find  no  other  words  to 
express  than  these:  "The  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  the  ear  heard, 
neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  what  things  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him."f  In  a  word,  the^  will  be 
infinitely  happy. 

But,  on  the  other  side,  behold  how  the  angels,  those  spirits  who 
were  created  to  execute  the  commands  of  God,  and  to  serve  as  His 
ministers,  have  faithfully  accomplished  the  will  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
They  have  traversed  His  immense  kingdom, — they  have  collected 
together  in  one  place  all  scandals,  that  is  to  say,  all  depraved  and 
corrupt  hearts, — all  those  who  worked  iniquity, — all  obstinate  sin- 
ners,— all  whose  foreheads  are  branded  with  the  curse  of  God.  The 
earth  opens,  and  angels  precipitate  them  into  hell.  Hell  is  a  burn- 
ing furnace, — a  cavern  of  fire, — a  lake  of  brimstone  and  pitch, — an 
inextinguishable  fire,  wherewith  the  wicked  will  be  penetrated  and 
as  if  salted,  according  to  emphatic  expression  employed  by  one  of 
the  prophets,  and  repeated  by  Jesus  Christ  himself.  There,  nothing 

*  St  Matthew,  xxv :  34,  41,  46.  f  1  Corinthians,  ii :  9. 


132  SHORT   SERMONS. 

will  be  heard  but  groaning,  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth ;  there, 
the  reprobate  will  be  Eternally  separated  from  God,  the  Supreme 
Good, — forever  deprived  of  seeing  Him, — driven  from  His  bosom, — 
abandoned  to  regrets, — to  remorse, — to  despair,  because  they  did 
not  wish  to  employ  the  days  of  their  first  life,  in  procuring  an  Eter- 
nally happy  life.  There,  in  those  frightful  torments,  will  be  found 
those  proud  and  criminally  insensible  men,  who,  in  this  world  be- 
lieved themselves  so  prudent  and  so  wise.  They  placed  in  one  hand 
sin  and  its  false  joys,  and  in  the  other,  the  Eternity  of  heaven  and 
the  Eternity  of  hell ;  they  weighed  them,  and  having  dared  pro- 
nounce the  two  Eternities  as  overbalanced,  they  chose  sin, — they 
swallowed  iniquity  like  water,  and  they  died  in  their  impenitence. 
"But  the  judgments  of  God  are  just  and  equitable."  Behold  how 
these  sinners  have  been  also  weighed  in  the  balance  of  the  Sove- 
reign Judge ;  they  have  been  found  wanting, — they  are  rejected, — 
they  are  plunged  into  hell.  They  would  have  desired  to  sin  Eter- 
nally,— they  will  be  Eternally  punished,  "and  the  smoke  of  their 
torments  shall  ascend  up  forever  and  ever."*  Their  sentence,  says 
St.  Chrysostom,  is  written  in  indelible  characters  upon  the  im- 
movable pillars  of  Eternity.  "I  remembered  God,"  says  the 
Prophet,  "and  was  exercised;  and  my  spirit  swooned  away.  My 
eyes  prevented  the  watches  :  I  was  troubled,  and  I  spoke  not.  I 
thought  upon  the  days  of  old :  and  I  had  in  my  mind  the  Eternal 
years.  And  I  meditated  in  the  night  with  my  own  heart :  and  I 
was  exercised,  and  I  swept  my  spirit.  Will  God  then  cast  off 
for  ever  ?  Or  will  He  never  be  more  favorable  again  ?  Or  will  He 
cut  off  His  mercy  forever,  from  generation  to  generation."! 

During  all  Eternity,  my  Brethren,  we  shall  be  either  with  God 
in  heaven,  or  with  the  devils  in  hell.  What  then  is  Eternity  ?  Is 
it  millions  of  years  ?  Ah !  millions  of  years  pass,  but  Eternity 
passes  not, — it  is  always  beginning.  "  0  Eternity  !  Eternity!" 
cries  out  St.  Augustine,  "Can  any  one  think  of  thee,  advance 
toward  thee,  and  yet  neglect  his  salvation  ?  Can  any  one  think 
of  thee  and  not  have  a  desire  to  change  his  life,  to  become  better, 
to  reform  his  heart,  and  to  supplant  the  love  of  vice  by  the  love  of 
virtue,  and  the  practice  of  piety  and  religion  ?  Will  this  man  be 

*  Apocalypse,  xiv  :  11.  t  Psalms,  IxxvL :  4—9. 


THE   TWO    ETERNITIES.  133 

happy  ?  Or  will  he  be  miserable  forever  ?  He  seems  not  to  care 
much,  unhappy  man  that  he  is,  thereby  showing  that  he  has  lost 
both  his  reason  and  his  conscience."  How  few  there  are  who  can 
say  with  the  royal  prophet:  "  One  thing  I  have  asked  of  the  Lord, 
this  will  I  seek  after ;  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
all  the  days  of  my  life ;  that  I  may  see  the  delight  of  the  Lord, 
and  may  visit  His  temple."*  Alas!  far  more  numerous  is  the 
multitude  of  those  who,  though  convinced  of  the  truth  of  a  future 
life,  of  an  Eternity  of  happiness  and  an  Eternity  of  misery,  yet 
neglect  and  forget  their  salvation,  pass  their  lives  without  ever 
thinking  of  their  souls  and  their  God,  give  themselves  up  entirely 
to  the  care  of  their  bodies,  employ  every  means  to  shelter  them- 
selves from  the  sorrows  of  this  short  life,  and  never  once  reflect  that 
they  are  every  day  advancing  nearer  and  nearer  the  brink  of  hell. 
They  adore  the  beast, — the  devil,  and  his  image, — the  world  ; — 
they  shall  be  tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone  in  the  sight  of 
the  holy  angels,  and  in  the  sight  of  the  Lamb,  forever  and  ever. 
"  Now  is  an  end  come  upon  thee,  and  I  will  send  my  wrath  upon 
thee  :  and  I  will  judge  thee  according  to  thy  ways  :  and  I  will  set 
all  thy  abominations  against  thee.  And  my  eye  shall  not  spare 
thee,  and  I  will  show  thee  no  pity :  but  I  will  lay  thy  ways  upon 
thee :  and  thy  abominations  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  thee :  and  you 
shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord/'j  your  God.  "  I  shall  take  care 
not  to  defer,"  says  St.  Bernard,  in  his  sermon  on  the  Canticle,  "  for 
I  fear  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God.  I  shall,  therefore, 
examine  my  desires,  and  my  acts,  that  when  He  shall  come  who  is 
to  visit  and  '  search  Jerusalem  with  lamps, 'J  He  may  find  nothing 
in  me  which  can  be  condemned  at  His  tribunal."  Yes,  my  Breth- 
ren, let  us  ever  direct  our  thoughts  toward  that  future  life  which 
awaits  us  after  death,  and  into  which  we  shall  soon  enter  ;  for  every 
breath  we  draw,  and  every  step  we  take,  brings  us  nearer  to  the 
grave.  Eternal  happiness  in  heaven  !  Misery  without  resource  and 
without  end  in  hell !  Oh  !  let  us  employ  soul  and  body,  mind  and 
heart,  to  gain  a  place  in  the  paradise  of  God.  Let  us  bear  the  yoke 
of  the  Lord  with  courage,  let  us  detest  sin,  live  holy  lives,  multiply 
our  good  works,  make  good  use  of  the  few  hours  which  God  counts 

*  Psalms,  xxvi :  4.        t  Ezechiel,  vii :  3,  4.         $  Sophouias,  i :  12. 


134  SHORT   SERMONS. 

out  to  us  in  this  world,  let  us  advance  toward  heaven  by  never 
losing  sight  of  these  two  consoling,  and  yet  awful  words :  Ever ! 

Never !    In  hell,  torments  never  ending,  sufferings  ever  beginning ; 

if  I  die  in  sin,  such  will  be  my  lot.  In  heaven  my  happiness  will 
never  finish.  I  shall  forever  exult  in  its  ineffable  delights, — if  while 
on  earth,  purity  and  the  love  of  God  reign  in  my  soul ;  if  I  do  what 
God  commands  me,  live  according  to  the  precepts  of  His  Church  ; 
in  a  word,  if  my  life  be  wise,  Christian  and  holy.  O !  if  I 
depart  this  life  in  the  grace  of  God,  my  happiness  will  be  Eternal. 
AJIEN. 


SERMON  XXVI. 

TWELFTH  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CREED.— (CONTINUED.) 

ETERNAL   LIFE-OR  DEATH. 


"  Life  everlasting." — APOSTLES'  CREED. 

EITHER  an  Eternity  of  happiness,  or  an  Eternity  of  misery , 
behold  the  destiny  reserved  for  man.  We  should  all,  my  Brethren, 
sigh  after  the  felicity  of  heaven.  We  should  all  fear  the  doom  of 
the  reprobate  in  hell.  Our  lot  in  Eternity  will  be  the  consequence 
of  our  life  here  below.  Everlasting  misery  awaits  him  who  will 
have  violated  the  holy  law  of  God,  who  will  have  done  evil,  and 
died  without  repentance.  Boundless  happiness  will  be  the  portion 
of  eveiy  faithful  servant  of  the  Lord,  of  every  one  who  will  have 
done  the  will  of  his  divine  Master,  practised  patience,  and  constantly 
walked  in  the  way  of  His  commandments.  Let  us  consider  this 
important  truth,  and  let  us  beg  of  God  grace  to  thoroughly  under- 
stand it. 

My  Brethren,  what  is  the  state  of  your  mind,  your  heart,  and 
your  conscience  ?  Are  they  tranquil,  or  are  you  the  prey  of  uneasi- 
ness and  trouble  ?  You  often  say  that  riches,  honors  and  pleasures 
do  not  constitute  true  happiness.  No,  were  you  in  possession  of 


ETERNAL  LIFE OB  DEATH.  135 

all  the  riches  of  the  world,  elevated  to  the  highest  honors,  and  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  pleasures  which  the  imagination  of  man  can 
invent,  you  could  not  he  happy,  if  your  heart  be  enslaved  hy  any 
evil  passion;  if  your  conscience  justly  reproach  you,  and  if  it  can  say  to 
you  in  those  terrible  accents,  which  it  knows  so  well  how  to  assume  ; 
"  Here,  you  have  tarnished  the  beauty  and  innocence  of  an  immor- 
tal soul,  have  sullied  the  purity  of  a  heart  redeemed  by  the  blood 
of  Christ:  there,  your  hand  has  plundered  the  property  of  your 
neighbor ;  or  you  have  ruined  his  character  by  detraction  and  ca- 
lumny ;  you  have  pierced  with  sorrow  the  bosom  of  a  poor  widow, 
and  rendered  a  family  desolate ;  or,  you  have  been  negligent  in  the 
care  of  your  own  family,  and  have  grossly  violated  your  obligations 
to  God, — to  your  neighbor,  and  to  yourself.  If  your  conscience 
can  thus  reproach  you,  you  are  guilty,  and  can  not  be  happy. 
Shame  and  sorrow  are  ever  the  inseparable  companions  of  the  man 
who  violates  the  laws  of  God  and  of  conscience.  Peace  and  tran- 
quillity of  soul  are  the  heritage  only  of  the  wise  and  virtuous. 
Examine,  then,  your  hearts.  No  doubt,  there  will  be  found  in  this 
audience  more  than  one  faithful  soul  who  can  with  truth  say  :  "I 
have  always  made  it  an  inviolable  duty  to  bridle  my  anger,  to  close 
my  heart  to  the  suggestions  of  self-love  and  avarice,  to  repel  with 
courage  the  flattering  words  of  sensual  pleasure,  and  of  every  evil 
passion.  I  have  loved  and  served  my  God,  I  have  loved  my 
neighbor,  and  done  good  to  all.  Thus,  I  possess  the  sweet  joy  of 
peace  and  tranquillity  of  heart ;  I  look  up  with  confidence  toward 
my  God, — I  hope  in  Him,  and  I  see  approaching  without  much 
fear  that  moment,  wherein  I  must  enter  into  my  Eternity/'  Yes,  my 
Brethren,  ihere  are  many  among  you,  to  whom  this  language  is 
applicable.  May  God  grant,  that  there  is  no  one  here  who  can  say 
of  himself:  "  I  am  never  perfectly  happy  ;  there  is  something  in  my 
heart,  which  robs  me  of  repose.  The  sins  of  my  youth  are  always 
present  to  my  mind,  and  afflict  my  heart.  I  know,  I  feel  that  I 
have  been  a  perverse  child ;  I  have  saddened  my  good  parents.  I  have 
been  a  bad  father ;  I  have  neglected  my  business  and  my  family  ;  I 
have  lost  and  perverted  to  profane  uses,  the  precious  time  which 
heaven  had  bestowed  upon  me.  I  have  been  a  wicked  Christian ;  I 
have  not  served  my  God, — I  have  not  loved  my  neighbor,  and  in- 
justice has  soiled  my  soul.  I  know  that  God  wills  that  my  heart 


136  SHORT    SERMONS. 

should  be  elevated  toward  Him, — should  be  centered  in  Him ;  and, 
on  the  contrary,  I  am  bewildered  in  the  love  of  worldly  pursuits, — 
I  have  no  relish  for  the  things  of  heaven.  Oh  !  I  tremble  at  the 
thoughts  of  Eternity,  into  which  I  must  soon  enter!" 

If  you  have  been  just,  good  and  virtuous,  happiness  and  peace 
will  pervade  your  hearts;  if  you  have  been  wicked,  vicious  and 
guilty,  you  will  be  tormented  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  your  soul. 

If,  in  the  present  life,  such  is  the  order  established  by  God  that 
we  shall  be  happy,  or  unhappy,  according  as  we  lead  good  or  evil 
lives,  must  we  not  thence  conclude  that  the  same  will  hold  good 
in  the  life  to  come  ;  and  that  we  will  be  happy,  or  miserable  for 
eternity,  according  to  the  good  or  the  evil  we  shall  have  done  on 
earth  ?  "Not  only  the  justice  of  God  requires  that  such  should  be 
the  case,  but,  says  a  holy  writer,  your  own  heart  demands  it.  If  on 
earth  you  have  not  loved  your  brethren ;  if  you  have  been  hard- 
hearted, passionate,  envious,  ungrateful  and  impure ;  if  you  have 
despised  the  knowledge  of  God  and  His  perfections ;  if  the  thought 
of  the  Almighty  was  a  burden,  you  will  not  be  pleased  in  heaven,  in 
the  society  of  the  saints,  so  sweet,  so  good,  so  generous,  so  pure ! 
you  would  not  be  at  ease  in  the  habitation  of  the  elect ;  that  is  not 
your  place."  If  you  desire  to  be  happy  in  heaven  with  God, — 
with  the  angels  and  the  saints,  you  must  live  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  deserve  it ;  love  God  and  keep  His  law,  for  the  present  life  is  the 
source  of  the  happiness,  or  the  misery  of  the  future. 

Man  will  reap  what  he  has  sown.  He  who  sows  in  the  flesh  and 
lives  only  according  to  bad  desires  and  evil  passions,  will  reap  only 
misery  ;  but  he  who  sows  in  spirit  and  lives  according  to  the  law  of 
God  and  of  conscience,  will  reap  life  everlasting.  Your  soul  is  the 
field  which  God  has  given  you  to  cultivate  :  if  you  sow  nothing  in  it, 
or  if  you  sow  only  vice  and  sin,  bad  will  be  the  crop ;  you  will  reap 
your  own  ruin.  If  on  the  contrary  you  sow  in  it  the  seeds  of  divine 
and  fraternal  charity, — the '  love  of  God  and  of  your  neighbor, 
justice,  purity  and  piety, — you  will  have  an  abundant  harvest: 
eternal  happiness,  union  with  God  in  this  world, — union  with  God 
in  heaven.  Your  soul  is  like  a  tree  :  if  God  find  that  it  brings  forth 
good  fruit,  He  will  preserve  it  for  heaven ;  if  He  discover  on  it  only 
bad  fruit,  He  will  command  it  to  be  cut  down  and  cast  into  the  fire. 
The  word  of  God  is  express,  my  Brethren ;  the  happy  life  in  heaven 


ETERNAL    LIFE OK    DEATH.  137 

is  the  recompense,  the  result  of  a  virtuous  life  in  this  world.  What 
practical  conclusions  ought  we  not  to  draw  from  this  truth  ? 

If  such  is  the  will  of  God,  that  our  future  happiness  depends  upon 
the  life  which  we  lead  in  this  world,  we  ought  surely  hold  in  the 
highest  esteem  the  time  which  God  has  given  us,  and  use  it  with 
the  utmost  diligence  in  performing  well  all  our  ordinary  actions. 

There  is  nothing  which  we  esteem  or  respect  less  than  the  time 
granted  to  us  by  heaven  to  pass  on  earth  ;  nothing,  which  in  some 
sort  is  more  of  a  burden  to  us.  We  dissipate  it  and  lose  it  in  a  thous- 
and ways.  I  know,  and  willingly  confess  that  sometimes  recreation 
is  necessary.  We  can  not  be  always  praying,  reading,  meditating 
or  working.  Mind  and  body  alike  have  need  of  some  relaxation  to 
recruit  their  strength  :  but  to  pass  a  great  part  of  our  lives  in  doing 
nothing,  or  in  assisting  at  those  diversions  which  are  only  suited  to 
weaken  us,  to  enervate  us,  and  to  lead  us  into  the  paths  of  vice,  are 
not  the  relaxations  which  the  body  and  the  soul  require ;  on  the 
contrary,  they  are  sources  of  affliction  to  them,  since  they  make  us 
lose  that  precious  time,  of  which  we  will  one  day  have  to  render  a 
strict  account  to  the  Lord. 

And  nevertheless,  generally  speaking,  we  know  well  the  value 
of  the  rapid  hours  of  our  life,  but  only  when  there  is  question  of 
temporal  interest  or  advantages.  Thus,  you  fathers  and  mothers, 
with  the  utmost  sincerity,  will  say  to  your  son  :  "  My  child,  seek 
knowledge  now, — take  advantage  of  your  youth  to  store  your  mind 
with  learning  and  science. . . .  When  you  will  have  arrived  at  man's 
estate,  you  will  repent,  if  you  have  not  done  so."  You  say  to  this 
youth  :  "  Work,  try  to  make  yourself  perfect  in  your  trade  or  pro- 
fession,— profit  by  this  time  which  is  given  you  to  learn  it,  if  you 
do  not  wish  to  be  classed  in  after  life  among  the  ignorant  and 
incompetent."  You  say  to  this  other,  who  is  the  father  of  a  family  : 
"  If  you  do  not  work  while  you  have  time, — if  at  present  you  seek 
your  own  ease  and  pleasure,  in  place  of  attending  to  the  interests  of 
your  family,  you  will  one  day  feel  the  blush  of  shame  on  your  brow, 
and  the  bitterness  of  grief  in  your  soul,  when  your  children  will 
ask  you  for  bread,  and  you  will  have  none  to  give  them."  You 
speak  thus,  my  Brethren,  and  you  are  right ; — but  should  we  not 
also  sometimes  say  to  ourselves :  Now  is  the  time  to  learn,  to  study, 
to  work  for  Eternity  ?  And  without  neglecting  the  care  of  your 
12 


138  SHORT    SERMONS. 

family,  could  you  not  find  time  to  take  care  of  your  soul  ?  With- 
out ceasing  to  think  of  your  profession  or  your  commerce,  could 
you  not  work  at  the  great  affair  of  your  salvation  ?  Without  dis- 
continuing your  sowing  or  your  planting  for  time,  what  prevents  you 
from  keeping  your  hand  on  that  plough  which  lahors  for  Eternity  ? 

Alas !  how  blind  man  is  !  He  attaches  his  heart  only  to  things 
visible, — perishable  and  fleeting, — and  he  disregards  those  which 
never  fade  and  never  perish !  All  his  activity  and  courage  are  em- 
ployed to  procure  what  he  must  quit  on  the  confines  of  life, — but 
he  ever  thinks  it  time  enough  to  commence  working  at  some  future 
day  for  the  endless  happiness  of  heaven.  For  one  penny,  says 
Thomas  a  Kempis,  men  sometimes  shamefully  quarrel, — but  for 
Eternal  life,  they  will  scarcely  move  a  foot  from  the  ground.  How 
much  better  would  it  be  for  us  to  put  our  time  to  good  account, 
by  seriously  reflecting  that  the  day  which  passes  is  the  price  of 
Eternity. 

Listen  to  those  words  of  our  divine  Lord.  "  Walk  while  you 
have  the  light."*  Behold,  "the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can 
work."f  To-day  it  is  still  possible,  nay  even  easy  for  you  to  gain 
heaven  :  say  not  then,  I  will  do  it  to-morrow;  for  to-morrow,  per- 
haps, the  bell  will  announce  your  death.  Think  of  this,  ye  men 
of  business,  and  do  not  permit  yourselves  to  be  absorbed  in  the  cares 
of  the  world.  Think  of  it,  ye  men  of  pleasure,  who  bearing  in 
your  breast  a  guilty  conscience,  yet  laugh  and  sport,  though  you 
are  suspended  over  the  abyss  of  endless  misery  by  a  single  thread. 
Let  us  all  think  of  it,  my  Brethren,  and  let  us  endeavor  to  do  some- 
thing for  God  and  for  our  souls. 

And  here  let  me  warn  you  against  a  defect  which  we  may  remark 
in  so  many.  There  are,  in  fact,  persons  who  seem  to  have  a  double 
conscience, — very  timorous  on  certain  points, — very  lax  and  easy 
on  others  no  less  important.  They  will  b§  very  exact  in  serving 
God  on  Sundays,  and  will  not  for  any  consideration  engage  in  the 
slightest  work  on  this  holy  day.  That  is  all  very  good, — but  on 
working  days,  these  people  are  also  unoccupied,  and  constantly 
neglect  the  duties  of  their  state.  Another  one  has  a  horror  of 
blasphemy  and  cursing,  but  he  permits  his  tongue  to  indulge  freely 

»  St.  John,  xii :  35.  t  St.  John,  ix :  4. 


ETERNAL    LIFE OK    DEATH.  139 

in  calumny  and  detraction.  Some  will  carefully  avoid  all  actions 
which  God  and  religion  condemn,  but  they  make  very  little 
account  of  the  bad  thoughts  that  trouble  their  imagination,  or  of 
the  evil  desires  that  fill  their  hearts.  This  is  understanding  very 
badly  what  religion  and  God  command.  Is  it  not  said  that  he  who 
transgresses  one  divine  precept,  becomes  guilty  of  all  ?  Are  there  no 
sins  except  Sabbath-breaking,  blasphemy,  and  impurity  of  act? 
Are  impurity  of  heart  and  detraction  to  be  regarded  as  lawful  ?  No, 
no.  God  is  not  the  judge  of  some  sins,  but  of  all.  He  is  not 
severe  on  some  sins,  and  indifferent  to  others.  Every  mortal  sin 
shuts  heaven  close.  Since  our  Eternal  happiness  is  the  consequence 
and  the  recompense  of  our  life  here  below,  let  us  endeavor  to  render 
this  life  equally  good  and  holy,  in  the  wishes  which  we  form  in  the 
bottom  of  our  hearts, — in  the  words  which  we  pronounce, — in  the 
actions  which  we  perform.  Let  every  thing  in  us  correspond 
worthily  to  the  will  of  God.  Let  us  love  God  with  our  whole 
soul, — with  all  our  mind, — with  all  our  heart, — with  all  our  strength; 
we  will  then  fulfill  His  entire  law,  and  our  lot  in  Eternity  will  bo 
that  of  the  elect. — AMEN. 


PAET  II. 

SERMON  XXVII. 

ON    HOPE. 

"In  Thee,  0  Lord, have  I  hoped, let  me  never  be  confounded." — PSALMS, xxxil. 

WITHOUT  faith,  says  the  Apostle,  it  is  impossible  to  please  God, 
and  the  wrath  of  God  presses  with  all  its  weight,  upon  the  children 
of  incredulity.  The  truths  which  God  deigned  to  reveal  to  the 
world,  and  which  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  proposes  for  your 
belief,  have  been  presented  to  your  minds  and  hearts,  in  the  explan- 
ation of  the  Apostles'  Creed  which  I  have  given  you.  But  to 
attain  heaven,  is  it  sufficient  for  us  to  have  faith  ?  No.  We  have 
a  second  duty  to  fulfill,  which  is  that  of  Hope.  We  must  Hope  in 
God,  we  must  Hope  for,  and  expect  with  confidence  to  receive,  what 
God  in  His  Goodness  has  promised  us.  "  Faith,"  says  a  father  of 
the  Church,  "is  the  foundation  of  the  edifice  of  our  salvation, 
Hope  is  the  body,  and  charity  is  the  crown."  Christian  Hope  will 
then  be  the  subject  of  our  instruction  to-day.  I  propose  telling 
you  what  we  ought  to  Hope  for  from  the  goodness  of  God,  and  the 
qualities  which  should  distinguish  the  Hope  of  the  Christian. 

To  Hope,  is  to  expect  with  confidence  a  benefit,  a  favor,  or  any 
advantage  whatever,  which  has  been  promised  us.  If  the  promise 
was  made  us  by  man,  the  Hope  which  we  would  have  in  the  realiza- 
tion of  his  word,  would  be  only  a  natural  and  purely  human  Hope : 
this  is  not  the  Hope  which  conducts  to  heaven.  But  our  Hope  is 
supernatural  and  divine,  if,  built  upon  faith,  we  Hope  and  expect 
such  and  such  favors,  because  God  has  promised  them  to  us.  To 
Hope,  in  the  Christian  signification  of  the  word,  is  to  expect  witk 

141 


142  SHORT    SEKMONS. 

confidence  the  gifts  which  the  goodness  of  God  has  condescended  to 
promise  us.  This  sublime  Hope  is  a  supernatural  virtue,  which  the 
Lord  infused  into  our  hearts,  the  moment  the  waters  of  baptism 
flowed  upon  our  foreheads.  It  is  this  virtue  which  directs  us  to 
place  our  trust  in  God,  and  to  cast,  according  to  the  language  of 
the  Scriptures,  all  our  care  upon  the  bosom  of  God,  our  Heavenly 
Father,  to  fly  to  Him  in  all  our  wants,  and  with  the  utmost  confi- 
dence to  expect  from  His  bounty  and  paternal  solicitude,  every  bless- 
ing which  He  has  promised  us,  both  for  this  life  and  the  life  to  come. 
What  are  these  blessings  then,  which  we  may  expect  with  a  firm 
confidence  ?  God  loves  all  men,  all  without  exception,  and  with 
the  love  of  a  father :  He,  therefore,  most  certainly  wishes  to  make 
us  all  happy.  He  takes  us  all  under  His  powerful  protection ; 
and  will  consequently  provide  for  the  support  of  our  existence ;  He 
will  defend  us  against  our  enemies  ;  He  will  console  us  in  all  our 
afflictions  and  all  our  disappointments.  The  Apostle  St.  Peter,  was 
well  persuaded  of  this  consoling  truth,  when  he  invites  us  to  unbosom 
ourselves  of  all  those  things  which  disturb  our  peace,  and  to  cast 
our  care  on  the  Lord,  because  the  Lord  himself  has  care  of  us,  to 
such  a  degree,  that  not  a  hair  of  our  heads  can  fall  to  the  ground 
without  the  permission  of  our  heavenly  Father,  as  Jesus  Christ 
himself  declared.  This  is  what  we  Hope  for,  and  expect  from  God 
in  the  present  life ;  but  the  promises  which  He  makes  us  for  the  life 
to  come,  are  incomparably  more  magnificent.  Enlightened  by  the 
bright  rays  of  divine  faith,  we  can  say  with  the  Apostle  :  "  Blessed 
be  the  God  and  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who,  according 
to  His  great  mercy,  hath  regenerated  us  unto  a  lively  Hope,  through 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  unto  an  inheritance- 
incorruptible,  and  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not,  reserved  in  heaven 
for  you."*  Yes,  my  God,  Thy  infinite  bounty  promises  to  receive 
us  into  heaven,  to  associate  us  with  the  angels  in  happiness,  to  over- 
whelm our  souls  with  a  torrent  of  delights  during  all  eternity;  but 
this  inexpressible  happiness  will  be  given  us  only  as  the  recompense 
of  our  virtues  ;  we  must  therefore  render  ourselves  worthy  of  it, — 
we  must  merit  it.  Alas !  if  of  ourselves  we  are  incapable  of  per- 
forming the  least  meritorious  action ;  if  we  are  incapable  even  of 

*  1  St.  Peter,  i  :  3,  4. 


ON    HOPE.  143 

conceiving  a  thought  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God,  how  will  we 
be  able  to  gain  heaven  ?  My  Brethren,  "It  is  good  to  confide  in  the 
Lord  ;"*  for  "every  best  gift,  and  every  perfect  gift,  is  from  above, 
coming  from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  there  is  no  change, 
nor  shadow  of  vicissitude."!  He  knows  our  weakness,  and  He 
will  make  us  strong ;  our  unworthiness,  and  He  will  render  us 
worthy.  The  all-powerful  aid  of  His  grace  is  guaranteed  to  us ;  His 
hand  raises  us  up,  if  our  hearts  give  away  to  compunction ;  His 
goodness  pardons  us,  if,  having  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  sin, 
we  return  to  Him  with  tears  of  repentance.  Yes,  our  God  himself 
will  render  us  worthy  of  that  happiness  which  He  promises  ;  and, 
as  the  royal  prophet  says,  "the  Lord  will  give  to  us  grace  and 
glory;"  He  will  be  our  strength  on  earth,  "and  our  reward  exceed- 
ingly great  in  heaven." 

Heaven  and  its  graces !  to  attain  them,  let  us  hope  for  them,  let 
us  expect  them,  without  ever  doubting,  without  ever  wavering. 
"Let  your  hope,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "be  as  certain  and  confident 
as  if  you  already  possessed  the  blessings  you  expect."  For,  in  the 
words  of  the  Apostle,  "it  is  impossible  for  God  to  lie;  we  may 
have  the  strongest  comfort,  who  have  fled  for  refuge,  to  hold  fast  the 
Hope  set  before  us  :  which  we  have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul,  sure 
and  firm. "|  We  must  Hope  with  the  utmost  confidence.  Why? 
Because  it  is  God  himself  who  has  promised  the  blessings  for 
which  we  Hope.  No  doubt,  you  have  too  much  reason  to  mistrust 
the  word  and  promises  of  man,  for  he  has  too  often  deceived  you ; 
but  God  is  "not  like  man,  He  lieth  not,  deceiveth  not."  The  Lord 
our  God,  is  truth  itself,  and  nothing  but  the  words  of  truth  can  ever 
issue  from  His  mouth.  He  is  infinitely  just  and  good  ;  He  will, 
therefore,  be  ever  faithful  to  the  promises  which  He  has  made  us. 
He  is  all-powerful;  He  can,  therefore,  always  accomplish  His 
designs, — He  can  grant  every  thing  that  He  has  promised  ;  and  also, 
as  St.  Paul  says,  "  God  meaning  more  abundantly  to  show  to  the 
heirs  of  the  promise  the  immutability  of  His  counsel,  interposed  an 
oath."§  Our  Hope  rests  on  the  word  of  God ;  it  must  therefore  be 
firm,  it  must  be  unshaken  ;  for  not  only  the  word  of  God  serves  as  its 
immovable  basis,  but  it  is  likewise  supported  on  the  merits  of  our 

*  Psalma,  cxvii :  8.  t  St.  James,  i :  17.  $  Hebrews,  vi :  18,  19.  $  Hebrews,  vi :  17. 


144  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Lord  Jesus  Christ.  These  merits  are  infinite ;  they  are  sufficient  to 
obtain  for  us  every  thing  necessary  for  our  salvation.  The  price  of 
all  the  graces  we  pray  for  has  been  paid  in  advance,  and  God,  who 
accepted  the  ransom,  has  promised  to  grant  us  every  thing  we  ask 
through  the  merits  of  His  well  beloved  Son.  "  0  man !"  says  St. 
Augustine,  "  what  is  it  God  has  promised  you  ?  That  you  would 
live  eternally.  What  pledge  has  He  given  you  ?  He  died  for  you. 
We  have  therefore  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ, — we  have  His  death  : 
God  has  already  done  more  than  remains  to  be  done,  and  His  gifts 
surpass  His  promises.  Mortal  man  will  live  forever,  since  an 
immortal  God  has  deigned  to  die  for  him."  If,  enemies  as  we 
were,  we  have  been  reconciled  with  God  by  the  death  of  His  only 
Son,  with  much  greater  reason,  now  that  we  are  reconciled,  may  we 
hope  to  be  saved  through  the  life  of  this  same  Son,  crucified  and 
risen  for  us !  This  was  the  thought  which  induced  the  Apostle  St. 
Paul,  to  say  to  us :  "  We  have  not  a  high  priest,  who  can  not  have 
compassion  on  our  infirmities ;  ...  let  us  go,  therefore,  with  confi- 
dence to  the  throne  of  grace  ;  that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find 
grace  in  seasonable  aid  to  attain  heaven,"*  the  end  of  all  our  hopes. 
Yes,  my  God,  Thou  hast  promised  to  aid  us  with  the  assistance 
of  Thy  grace,  to  pardon  our  sins,  to  give  us  a  place  in  the  habita- 
tion of  the  blessed  saints  of  heaven !  God  desires,  my  Brethren, 
that  we  should  never  cease  to  Hope  for  these  great  blessings, — to 
sigh  after  that  happiness  which  He  has  promised  us ;  but  He  also, 
without  doubt,  wishes  that  we  should  never  lose  sight  of  the  con- 
dition to  which  He  has  attached  the  fulfillment  of  these  magnificent 
promises.  What  is  this  condition  ?  That  you  consecrate  your- 
selves, sincerely  and  generously,  to  His  service ;  that  you  place  no 
obstacles  to  His  blessings  and  graces ;  that  you  faithfully  fulfill  His 
divine  commandments.  "God  created  you,"  says  St.  Augustine, 
"  without  your  aid,  but  He  will  not  save  you  without  your  cooper- 
ation." On  your  part  you  must  do  every  thing  in  your  power  to 
accomplish  the  holy  will  of  God,  during  your  pilgrimage  on  earth ; 
for,  to  obtain  eternal  life,  says  our  Saviour,  it  is  necessary  to  keep  the 
commandments.  Is  not  this  right,  my  Beloved  Friends  ?  To  acquire 
a  fortune,  what  cares,  what  hardships,  what  labors  do  you  not  under- 


*  Hebrews,  iv:  15, 16. 


ON  HOPE.  145 

go?  And  if  you  succeed  in  obtaining  it,  —  what  have  you? 
Nothing  ;  since  you  must  leave  all  at  your  entrance  into  the  tomb. 
But  once  in  possession  of  the  goods  which  God  promises  you,  you 
will  possess  them  for  everlasting  ages.  Oh,  no ;  do  not  think  you 
do  too  much  in  consecrating  all  your  efforts,  your  mind,  your  heart, 
your  soul  and  your  body,  to  obtain  the  riches  of  eternity.  If  you 
get  them  at  such  a  trifling  cost,  you  have  them  for  nothing.  Nev- 
ertheless, till  this  day,  we  have  always  preferred  the  deceitful  goods 
of  this  world :  we  have  desired  and  coveted  them ;  we  did  every 
thing  to  acquire  them,  as  if  they  could  render  us  happy ;  as  if  we 
were  to  live  always  on  earth.  "  Thou  fool,  this  night  do  they 
require-thy  soul  of  thee!"*  Far  more  wise  and  prudent,  the  true 
Christian  loves  to  consider  himself  as  a  traveller,  directing  his  steps 
to  a  better  country  than  that  of  this  world.  He  preserves  in  his 
heart  the  love  of  the  unutterable  riches  which  God  has  prepared  for 
His  elect  in  another  life.  The  Hope  which  he  cherishes  in  his  soul 
of  one  day  enjoying  this  blessed  immortality,  prevents  him  from 
attaching  himself  to  earthly  goods, — leads  him  to  despise  the  false 
and  guilty  pleasures  of  this  world,  and  assists  him  to  resist  tempta- 
tions with  courage,  and  support  afflictions  with  patience.  This 
expectation  of  eternal  goods,  which  consoles  him  in  his  sorrows,  is  a 
defence  to  him  alike  against  the  dangers  of  adversity  and  the  seduc- 
tions of  prosperity.  He  knows  that  Christian  patience  will  be 
crowned  with  glory  in  heaven  ;  he  knows  that  the  goods  of  this 
world  are  only  shining  dust,  and  he  permits  not  his  heart  to  be  sul- 
lied by  their  love.  He  relishes  the  things  which  are  above ;  as  the 
Apostle  says :  these  are  what  he  loves, — these  he  desires, — Hopes 
for.  This  Hope  is  laid  up  in  his  heart,  and  he  daily  prays  God  to 
strengthen  it ;  hence  the  prayer  which  we  call  the  act  of  Hope,  is 
often  on  his  lips.  Frequently  receite  that  beautiful  prayer,  that 
your  Hope  may  be  perfected,  and  elevated  to  the  highest  degree, 
that  you  may  be  detached  from  this  world,  to  aspire  with  greater 
ardor  after  the  possession  of  the  eternal  treasures  and  delights  of 
heaven. — AMEN. 

*  St.  Luke,  xii :  20. 
13 


14:6  SHORT    8EKMONS. 

SERMON  XXVIII. 

ON  PRAYER  IN  GENERAL. 


"  Lord,  teach  us  to  pray." — ST.  LUKE,  xi :  1. 

WE  ought  to  expect  from  the  paternal  bounty  of  God,  all  graces 
and  blessings  conducive  to  our  happiness  in  this  world  and  the 
world  to  come.  But  what  practical  proof  can  we  furnish  that  we 
really  possess  this  sublime  virtue  of  hope,  and  that  we  look  with 
certainty  for  what  God  has  promised  ?  The  proof,  my  Brethren,  is 
that  we  Pray  to  God, — that  we  invoke  Him  in  our  wants,  and  im- 
plore His  aid  and  assistance.  The  poor  man  makes  his  appeal 
only  to  him  from  whose  hand  he  expects  an  alms ;  so  we  would 
not  direct  our  Prayers  to  God,  we  would  not  ask  His  graces,  did  we 
not  hope  to  obtain  them  from  His  bounty.  We  Pray,  therefore 
we  hope.  This  brings  me  to  speak  to  you  now  of  Prayer. 

What  is  Prayer  ?  How  ought  we  to  Pray  ?  This  is  what  we 
all  wish  to  learn,  taught  by  the  example  of  the  Apostles,  because 
we  all  know  that  in  the  great  affair  of  salvation,  Prayer  is  of  the 
utmost  importance.  In  fact,  the  prophet  Joel  reduces  the  whole 
science  of  salvation  to  the  duty  of  Praying  well ;  he  says  :  "Every 
one  that  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  saved  ;"* 
that  is,  "he  who  knows  how  to  Pray  well,  knows  how  to  live 
well,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "and  he  who  knows  how  to  live  well, 
has  nothing  more  to  learn  ;  he  excels  in  the  most  important,  the 
most  necessary  science,  the  science  which  makes  saints,  the  science 
of  salvation."  What,  therefore,  is  Prayer  ?  To  Pray,  is  not  to  run 
over  a  prayer-book  in  a  hasty  manner,  without  attention  or  devo- 
tion ;  neither  is  it  to  recite  the  Our  Father  and  the  Hail  Mary  with- 
out piety  and  without  affection.  There  is  no  Prayer  when  the  heart 
is  silent.  Prayer  is  cither  the  praise  of  God,  or  the  expression  of  our 

«  Joel,  ii :  32. 


ON    PBAYEK   IN    GENERAL.  147 

own  wants  and  miseries.  "It  is  the  elevation  of  the  soul  to  God," 
an  elevation  which  has  for  its  aim  to  render  to  God  the  homage  of 
adoration  and  thanksgiving  which  are  due  to  Him,  as  our  Sovereign 
Master  and  our  Magnificent  Benefactor.  "Prayer  is  the  acknowl- 
edgment which  we  make  of  our  nothingness,"  our  misery,  our 
frailty,  and  it  places  in  the  bosom  of  God,  as  in  the  bosom  of  a 
Father,  all  our  troubles,  and  all  our  sorrows.  Prayer  is  a  conversa- 
tion which  we,  though  but  dust  and  ashes,  hold  face  to  face,  heart 
to  heart  with  God ;  and,  in  this  conversation  we  deplore  our  mis- 
eries and  weaknesses,  and  we  implore  the  divine  Mercies  in  our 
behalf.  Prayer  is  an  utterance  of  the  desires  of  our  soul  and  our 
heart ;  it  is  the  love,  the  desire  of  true  goods.  It  is  the  heart  which 
must  Pray ;  but  if  the  heart  be  without  desire,  though  your  lips 
may  speak,  your  Prayer  will  be  but  an  empty  sound.  Prayer  there- 
fore is  to  praise,  to  bless,  to  thank,  and  to  implore  the  Lord. 

Is  Prayer  necessary  ?  Jesus  Christ  and  the  saints  will  answer 
this  question.  "Without  me,"  says  our  divine  Lord,  "you  can  do 
nothing."  St.  Augustine  remarks  that  Jesus  Christ  does  not  say  : 
without  me  you  can  do  nothing  great,  nothing  heroic  ;  for,  to  attain 
heaven,  it  is  not  necessary  to  perform  great  and  heroic  deeds  ;  but 
He  says  absolutely  :  "Without  me,  you  can  do  nothing."  Aban- 
doned to  yourselves, — left  to  your  own  natural  weakness,  what  could 
you  do  against  the  unruly  passions  of  your  heart  ?  Nothing,  my 
Brethren.  Grace  is  necessary  for  you,  before  you  can  conceive  even 
the  first  thought  of  doing  good, — necessary,  before  you  can  have  even 
the  weakest  desire  of  salvation.  Without  grace,  no  salvation,  and 
ordinarily  speaking,  without  Prayer,  no  grace.  Grace  will  be  given, 
but  it  will  be  to  him  who  will  ask  for  it ;  it  will  be  opened,  but  for 
him  who  will  have  knocked.  Hence  our  divine  Saviour  warns  us, 
"that  we  ought  always  to  Pray  ;"*  "watch  ye,  and  Pray,  that  ye 
enter  not  into  temptation,  "f  Hence  too,  the  Apostle  tells  us  that, 
we  must  call  upon  the  name  of  God,  "by  all  Prayer  and  supplica- 
tion, Praying  at  all  times  in  the  spirit ;  and  in  the  same  watching 
with  all  instance  and  supplication."!  God  is  master  of  all  His 
gifts,  and  in  quality  of  master,  He  has  the  right  to  dispose  of  them 
on  whatever  conditions  He  pleases.  Now,  it  is  His  will,  that 

*  St.  Luke,  xviii :  1.        t  St.  Matthew,  xxvi :  41.        *  Ephesiaus,  vi :  18. 


14:8  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Prayer  should  be  one  of  these  conditions.  All  therefore, — the  just 
and  the  unjust,  must  Pray,  "because,"  says  St.  Augustine,  " graces 
which  are  so  precious,  so  important,  as  to  lead  to  eternal  salvation, 
well  deserve  that  we  should  ask  them,  without  ever  being  disheart- 
ened." How  necessary  Prayer  is.  How  useful. 

We  belong  to  a  God,  who  wishes  and  who  is  able  to  give  us 
every  thing  necessary  for  us;  and  at  what  price  ?  Come,  ye  poor, 
come  without  gold  and  without  silver ;  come,  ye  sinners,  come  with- 
out merits,  come  in  spite  of  your  unworthiness ;  "ask  and  you  shall 
receive ; "  place  no  limits  to  your  requests,  for  God  places  none  to 
His  gifts.  Pray,  and  in  your  troubles  you  will  be  consoled, — in 
your  temptations  you  will  be  fortified.  Pray,  and  you  can  avoid 
sin,  and  will  find  yourselves  strong  enough  to  practice  virtue. 
St.  Chrysostom  says :  "Prayer  is  an  anchor  of  safety  for  every  one 
in  danger  of  suffering  shipwreck,  an  immense  treasure  of  riches  for 
him  who  is  poor,  a  most  efficacious  remedy  for  him  who  is  sick, 
a  preservative  for  all  who  wish  to  remain  in  health." 

"  If  we  do  not  Pray,  we  are  inexcusable,"  says  St.  Alphonsus  de 
Liguori,  "  for  the  grace  of  Prayer  is  given  to  every  body.  God 
gives  to  all  the  grace  of  Prayer,  that  all  might  obtain  assistance, 
even  abundant  assistance,  to  keep  his  holy  law,  and  persevere  in  the 
practice  of  it  till  death.  If  we  are  not  saved,  it  will  be  entirely  our 
own  fault,  and  solely  because  we  have  not  Prayed."  Ask,  and  you 
may  be  sure  you  will  receive ;  it  is  Jesus  Christ  who  promises  this 
to  you,  and  who  even  promises  it  with  an  oath :  "  Amen,  amen,  I 
say  to  you ;  whatever  you  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  will  be 
given  unto  you,"  grace  to  do  good, — assistance  to  avoid  evil. 

But  when  must  we  Pray  ?  Our  divine  Saviour  and  His  Apostles 
command  us  to  Pray  without  ceasing,  and  not  to  grow  faint,  because 
our  Prayers,  to  be  commensurate  with  our  wants,  should  be  continual. 
It  is  a  precept  which  we  can  not  elude,  so  precise  are  the  words  of 
Jesus  Christ.  But,  is  not  the  fulfillment  of  this  precept  an  impossi- 
bility ?  My  Brethren,  the  Lord  does  not  require  that  you  should  be 
the  whole  day  and  night  reciting  Prayers  ;  He  even  wishes  you  to 
confine  your  Prayers  to  a  few  words,  and  that  you  be  very  careful 
not  to  neglect  the  duties  of  your  state,  to  consecrate  all  your  time 
to  the  holy  exercise  of  Prayer.  But  does  He  not  enjoin  us  to  Pray 
unceasingly  ?  He  does.  But  what  He  means  is,  that  the  spirit  of 


ON    PRAYER    IN    GENERAL.  149 

piety  and  devotion  should  never  depart  from  your  hearts, — that  you 
never  cease  loving  God,  observing  His  laws,  and  that  you  should 
ever  be  found  faithfully  fulfilling  the  duties  of  your  vocation.  St. 
Augustine  says  to  us  :  "  In  every  thing  you  do,  seek  the  holy  will 
of  God ;  attend  to  your  business  ;  fulfill  all  the  obligations  of  your 
state  of  life  ;  labor  with  the  intention  of  pleasing  God, — offering 
to  Him  every  day  of  your  life;  and,  so  doing,  you  will  accomplish 
the  precept  of  Jesus  Christ, — you  will  Pray  without  ceasing." 

Pray  when  temptation  comes  upon  you,  for  then  you  need  to  be 
strengthened.  "Watch  ye,  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temp- 
tation,"* said  our  divine  Redeemer  to  His  disciples.  He  who  does 
not  Pray  is  vanquished.  Pray ;  God  will  combat  with  you,  and 
your  triumph  is  certain.  All  the  powers  of  hell  can  not  overcome 
him  whom  God  supports. 

Pray  when  affliction  and  adversity  come  upon  you.  The  Holy 
Ghost  says  to  us  :  "  Is  any  of  you  sad  ?  let  him  Pray  ;"f  you  will 
receive  aid  and  consolation,  and  "your  sorrow  shall  be  turned 
into  joy."]; 

Pray  before  meals.  Invoke  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  nourishment 
you  are  about  to  take,  that  it  may  benefit  your  body, — that  all  temp- 
tation of  sensuality  may  be  removed  from  you, — that  you  may  not 
abandon  yourselves  to  any  excess  in  eating  or  drinking,  and  that 
you  may  by  this  very  act,  acquire  merit  before  God.  Yes,  before 
your  meals,  implore  the  bounty  of  God,  who  opens  His  hands,  and 
every  creature  is  filled  with  proofs  of  His  liberality.  After  your  meals, 
return  thanks  to  the  Lord  :  it  is  His  paternal  solicitude  that  pro- 
vided for  your  subsistence,  as  it  provided  for  the  little  birds  of  the 
air.  The  bread  which  is  given  you  to  eat,  you  have  received  from 
His  providence ;  prove  your  gratitude  then,  by  returning  thanks  to 
your  heavenly  Father  for  His  goodness. 

Pray  every  morning  and  evening.  Why  in  the  morning? 
Because  God  has  watched  over  you  during  the  night,  and  kept  you 
in  health  and  strength.  You  should  Pray  in  the  morning,  because 
you  ought  to  offer  and  consecrate  to  God  all  your  labor,  your 
occupations,  your  thoughts,  your  troubles,  your  toils,  and  all  your 
actions.  You  should  Pray  in  the  morning,  so  that  God  may  shower 

*  St.  Matthew,  xxvi :  41.      t  St.  James,  v  :  13.       $  St.  John,  xvi:  20. 


150  SHORT    SERMONS. 

down  His  graces  upon  you,  and  assist  you  to  walk  during  the  day  in 
the  brightness  of  His  holy  light,  in  such  a  manner  that  you  may 
avoid  evil  and  do  good. 

You  ought  to  pray  in  the  evening.  Why  so  ?  Because  it  is 
your  duty  to  return  thanks  to  Providence,  for  the  benefits  He  has 
heaped  upon  you  during  the  day,  now  come  to  a  close ;  because  you 
ought  to  ask  mercy  and  pardon  for  the  many  faults  you  have  com- 
mitted during  the  day.  Finally,  you  ought  to  pray  every  evening, 
that  God  may  take  care  of  you  during  the  night,  and  grant  yon  a 
sound  and  a  peaceful  repose. 

We  all  easily  admit,  my  Brethren,  that  we  at  all  times  stand  in 
need  of  the  assistance  of  God ;  we  need  His  assistance  to  preserve 
our  lives  to  labor  in  a  Christian -like  manner,  to  practice  virtue, 
to  escape  the  misfortunes  to  which  we  are  daily  and  constantly 
exposed.  W^e  should  then  as  readily  admit  the  necessity  in  which 
we  are  placed  of  having  recourse  to  God  every  morning  and  every 
night ;  and  yet,  not  small  is  the  number  of  those,  who,  some  through 
the  pressure  of  their  business  and  worldly  affairs,  others  through 
levity  and  dissipation  ;  one  class  through  discouragement  and  dis- 
gust; another  through  pure  indolence  and  shameful  sloth,  neglect 
without  scruple  their  morning  and  evening  Prayers,  rise  up  and  lie 
down  like  the  beasts  of  the  field,  without  one  thought  on  the  God 
that  made  them.  Alas  !  these  pretended  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ 
will  soon  have  neither  faith  nor  religion,  for  faith  and  religion  can 
not  be  preserved  without  exercise,  and  can  not  be  exercised  without 
Prayer. 

To  be  consoled  and  strengthened  in  our  troubles,  to  escape  the 
evils  which  threaten  our  body  and  our  soul,  every  day  and  every 
hour  of  our  life,  we  must  pray.  To  preserve  our  heart  and  soul  in 
peace  and  tranquillity,  to  be  happy,  we  must  pray.  We  must 
pray,  for  it  is  from  God  that  every  perfect  gift  comes.  Have  then 
a  great  esteem  for  Prayer.  Every  day  elevate  your  hearts  toward 
God  your  Father,  and  full  of  a  holy  confidence  in  His  goodness  and 
His  love,  ask  from  Him  assistance,  strength,  patience  and  courage. 
If  you  preserve  in  your  hearts  the  holy  intention  of  doing  all  for  His 
glory  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  be  you  sure,  that  God  on  His  part, 
will  hear  and  grant  your  Prayers  and  supplications,  for  He  desires 
our  happiness  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come. — AMEN. 


CONDITIONS    OF    PRAYER  .  151 


SERMON  XXIX. 

CONDITIONS   OF  PRAYER. 


"  Ask,  and  you  shall  receive." — ST.  JOHN,  xvi :  24. 

PRAYER  is  necessary  ;  it  is  the  means  ordained  by  God  to  obtain 
from  His  goodness  the  graces  and  the  assistance  of  which  we  stand 
in  need.  Prayer  is  very  efficacious  ;  it  obtains  from  God  every 
thing  requisite  for  our  happiness  in  this  world,  and  in  the  world  to 
come,  since  the  Saviour  has  said  to  us  :  whatever  you  shall  ask 
my  heavenly  Father  in  my  name,  He  will  give  unto  you.  They 
who  care  little  for  Prayer,  care  little  for  their  salvation.  Yet,  my 
Brethren,  the  Lord  God  does  not  hear  every  Prayer.  To  render 
our  supplications  acceptable  in  His  sight,  they  must  be  accompanied 
with  true  sorrow  for  our  sins  ;  and  they  must  also  be  offered  with 
recollection  and  confidence.  Let  us  carefully  consider  these  Condi- 
tions of  well  made  Prayer. 

The  first  disposition  for  praying  well,  is  sorrow  for  the  faults 
which  we  have  committed.  "We  are  all  sinners,  and  if  any  one 
says  he  is  without  sin,  the  truth  is  not  in  him,"  says  the  Holy 
Ghost.  But  is  not  our  condition  as  sinners  an  obstacle  to  the  effi- 
cacy of  Prayer  ?  In  the  state  of  sin,  can  we  pray,  and  pray  even 
through  Jesus  Christ  ?  Yes,  if  this  Prayer  proceeds,  if  not  from  a 
will  already  determined,  if  not  from  a  resolution  already  formed  to 
forsake  sin,  at  least  from  a  heart  sincerely  deploring  its  attachment 
to  sin,  asking  strength  to  break  asunder  its  chains,  and  suffering 
because  it  is  not  repentant  enough.  But  it  is  impossible  to  offer  an 
acceptable  Prayer, — and  consequently  your  Prayer  will  be  without 
effect,  if  you  have  neither  shame  nor  regret  for  your  sins  ;  if,  far 
from  having  recourse  to  Jesus  Christ,  to  beg  Him  for  aid  to  break 
the  bonds  that  bind  you  to  sin,  you  for  months  and  years  resist  His 
grace,  so  sweetly  and  so  patiently  pressing  you  to  abandon  the 
ways  of  iniquity.  How  indeed  can  God  hear  your  Prayers  and 


SHOBT     rflUiMO.NS. 

grant  your  desires,  while  you  are  determined  to  persevere  in  sin, 
which  excites  His  indignation  ;  while  you  continue  to  violate  His 
commandments,  to  despise  His  graces,  and  trample  under  foot  His 
divine  will  ?  The  most  indulgent  of  fathers  would  refuse  to  comply 
with  the  desires  of  an  ungrateful  son,  who  would  continually  insult 
and  outrage  him.  He  would  at  least  require,  that  the  guilty  offender 
should  humble  himself,  and  acknowledge  his  fault,  before  his  pater- 
nal hand  would  be  opened  to  shower  upon  him  his  favors  anew  ; — 
this  would  be  just, — who  can  doubt  it  ?  And  you,  my  dear  Brethren, 
Pray,  and  yet  continue  to  love  sin  ;  you  Pray,  and  sin  still  rules  as 
master  in  your  hearts  ;  do  not  then  expect  that  God  will  hear  you. 
God  rejects  the  Prayer  which  you  address  to  Him  from  your  mouth, 
and  not  from  your  heart.  He  tells  us:  "When  you  stretch  forth 
your  hands,  I  will  turn  away  my  eyes  from  you ;  and  when  you 
multiply  Prayer,  I  will  not  hear/'*  for  your  hands  are  full  of 
iniquities. 

If  you  wish  that  God  would  hear  your  Prayers,  avoid  anger  and 
dissension.  "I  will,"  says  St.  Paul,  "therefore,  that  men  Pray  in 
every  place,  lifting  up  pure  hands,  without  anger  and  strife. "j- 

If  you  wish  that  God  would  hear  your  Prayers,  be  not  implacable 
toward  those  who  have  injured  you.  "When  you  shall  stand  to 
Pray,'*  says  our  divine  Lord,  "  forgive,  if  you  have  any  thing  against 
any  man  ;  that  your  Father  also,  who  is  in  heaven,  may  forgive 
you  your  sins/'J  Again,  he  says,  "if  you  will  not  forgive  men, 
neither  will  your  Father  forgive  you  your  sins."§ 

If  you  wish  that  God  would  hear  your  Prayers,  cease  to  be  hard- 
hearted toward  the  unfortunate.  "He  that  stoppeth  his  ear  against 
the  cry  of  the  poor,  shall  also  cry  himself,  and  shall  not  be  heard.  "| 

If  you  wish  that  God  would  hear  your  Prayers,  renounce  pride, 
which  so  much  displeases  Him.  You  know  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
has  said:  "God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the 
humble."^ 

Take  care  that  the  voice  of  the  sins  which  you  have  committed, 
cry  not  louder  than  the  voice  of  your  Prayers.  Hardened  in  crime, 
you  Pray,  and  your  Prayer  is  not  heard,  for  Jesus  Christ  Prays  not 


Isaias,  i  :  15.  f  1  Timothy,  ii  :  8.  J  St.  Mark,  xi :  25. 

St.  Matthew,  vi :  IS.      ||  Proverbs,  xxi  :  13.  p  St.  James,  iv:  tf. 


CONDITIONS    OF    FBAYEK.  153 

with  you.  "He  is  indeed  the  Advocate  of  sinners,"  says  St.  Au- 
gustine, "but  He  will  never  be  the  advocate  of  sin."  God  will 
hear  you,  if  you  commence  by  humbling  yourselves  in  His  presence, 
by  asking  forgiveness  of  Him,  by  saying  to  Him  :  "Lord,  be  thou 
merciful  to  me  ;  heal  my  soul,  for  I  have  sinned  against  Thee."  * 
Let  this  cry  be  sincere,  and  really  spring  from  your  heart,  and, 
though  you  have  committed  the  most  heinous  crimes,  be  assured 
that  God  will  lend  a  propitious  ear  to  your  petition. 

The  second  disposition  for  Praying  well,  is  recollection.  What 
is  Prayer  ?  It  is  a  conversation  with  God.  In  Prayer,  the  soul  is, 
as  it  were,  admitted  and  introduced  into  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord ; 
it  lays  before  Him  its  wants,  makes  known  its  temptations,  and  its 
infirmities  ;  it  honors  Him,  glorifies  Him,  adores  Him,  thanks  Him, 
and  implores  His  mercies.  Such  an  act  of  religion  ought  not  to  be 
a  mere  outward  practice.  On  the  contrary,  Prayer  demands  all  the 
application  and  earnestness  of  our  minds  and  hearts,  and,  when  our 
soul  Prays,  every  human  and  profane  object  should  disappear  from 
our  mind.  No,  it  is  not  lawful,  to  let  our  minds  be  occupied  with 
foreign  and  useless  thoughts,  when  we  are  speaking  to  the  Lord, 
our  God.  Our  Prayers  should  spring  from  the  heart,  and  what  we 
ask  from  the  Almighty,  should  be  the  object  present  to  our  thoughts. 

You  would  consider  yourself  slighted  and  insulted,  if  any  one 
coming  to  transact  some  important  business  with  you,  instead  of 
attending  to  what  he  was  saying,  would  laugh,  talk  and  joke  with 
others  at  the  very  same  time.  What  then  must  God  think  of  us, 
and  how  great  is  the  injury  we  offer  His  majesty,  when  we  entreat 
Him  and  praise  Him  with  our  mouths, — when  we  offer  Him  a  lip- 
service,  while  our  hearts  are  far  from  Him.  To  whom  do  you  speak 
in  Prayer  ?  To  that  God,  who,  with  one  hand,  measures  the  waters 
of  the  deep,  and  with  the  other  supports  the  entire  weight  of  the 
heavens  ;  before  whose  glance  mountains  melt  away,  and  all  nations 
become  as  if  they  were  not.  And  what  do  you  ask  ?  Ah !  did 
you  think  seriously  on  it,  you  would  soon  find  the  deepest  recollection 
spring  up  in  your  hearts.  In  fact,  you  ask  the  possession  of  God 
himself,  the  heritage  of  glory,  and  an  eternity  of  happiness  :  you 
can  ask  nothing  greater,  and  yet  in  this  action  so  holy  and  so 


*  Psalms,  xl  :  5. 


154  S  H  O  K  T    SERMONS. 

sublime,  you  manifest  only  coldness  and  indifference.  How  then 
can  you  expect  that  God  will  hear  you  ? 

But  is  it  always  a  sin  to  be  distracted  in  Prayer?  No,  my 
Brethren.  If  these  distractions  are  not  voluntary,  if  they  displease 
you,  if  you  do  all  that  is  in  your  power  to  prevent  them,  far  from 
injuring  your  Prayers,  they  become  themselves  a  Prayer,  as  St. 
Augustine  tells  us.  They  are  occasions  for  acquiring  merit,  whether 
they  come  directly  from  God,  who  wishes  to  try  you,  or  from  the 
devil,  who  is  jealous  of  the  graces  which  you  receive  to  strengthen 
you  against  his  evil  suggestions.  Take  care  to  profit  by  these  ever 
salutary  occasions. 

But  be  careful  also  that  these  distractions  be  not  willful,  that  you 
do  not  yield  to  them,  that  you  do  not  seek  them,  or  that  you  neglect 
to  reject  them  when  they  occur.  If  they  be  the  effect  of  your  will,  or 
of  your  negligence,  the  Holy  Ghost  tells  you  that  your  very  Prayer  is 
changed  into  sin,  and  by  no  means  deserves  to  be  heard.  What  do 
I  say :  you  yourselves  do  not  desire  that  it  should  be  heard.  In 
truth  says  St.  Cyprian  :  "  How  does  it  appear  that  you  ardently 
wish  that  God  should  hear  you,  when  you  do  not  hear  yourselves  ?" 
I  beseech  you  then,  my  Brethren,  and  you  know  how  sincerely  I 
desire  your  salvation  and  your  happiness,  to  consider,  that  when  you 
pray,  you  have  the  honor  and  glory  of  speaking  to  the  sovereign 
Master  of  heaven  and  earth.  While  you  pray,  think  of  God,  think 
of  what  you  ask  Him,  and  ask  with  confidence,  which  is  the  last 
disposition  of  praying  well. 

Be  assured,  my  Brethren,  that  the  Lord  will  hear  your  Prayer,  if 
what  you  ask  can  contribute  to  His  glory,  to  the  sanctification  and 
salvation  of  your  own  soul.  The  Apostle  St.  James  forbids  us  to 
doubt  and  hesitate  :  he  says  to  us  :  "If  any  of  you  want  wisdom, 
let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  abundantly,  and  upbraideth 
not :  and  it  shall  be  given  him.  But  let  him  ask  in  faith,  nothing 
wavering ;  for  he  that  wavereth  is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea,  that  is 
moved  and  carried  about  by  the  wind.  Therefore,  let  not  that  man 
think  that  he  shall  receive  any  thing  of  the  Lord."*  Why  would 
you  doubt?  You  are  supported  by  the  promise  of  God  himself: 
"Ask,"  He  says,  "and  you  shall  receive."  Why  would  you  hesitate? 

*  St.  James,  i :  5,  6,  7, 


CONDITIONS    OF    PRAYER,"  155 

It  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  prays  in  ns ;  it  is  the  Son  of  God  who 
prays  for  us,  He  who  died,  rose  again  and  sitteth  at  the  right  hand 
of  His  Father.  We  are  indeed  unworthy  of  obtaining  any  thing  by 
ourselves ;  but  let  us  begin  our  Prayer  by  the  acknowledgment  of 
our  weakness,  of  our  unworthiness,  and  immediately  two  persons 
of  the  most  adorable  Trinity  will  come  to  our  assistance :  the  Son 
of  God,  who  is  the  Just  One,  is  our  Advocate  and  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins  ;*  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  \ve  have  received,  and  in 
whom  we  cry;  Father,  Father  !f  Hence  the  Apostle  exhorts  us  to 
approach  the  throne  of  grace  with  the  utmost  confidence. 

But  sometimes  our  Prayers  are  not  granted,  and  St.  Augustine 
rejoices  at  it ;  because  the  refusal  is  for  our  advantage.  God  refuses 
our  request,  to  give  us  something  better;  He  prefers  rather  to  resist 
us  than  gratify  desires  which  would  have,  perhaps,  led  us  astray. 
Do  not  murmur  then,  my  Christian  Friends,  if  God  is  slow  in 
granting  your  petition ;  submit  to  the  Divine  will,  and  avoid  that 
language  which  we  so  often  hear  in  the  world :  "It  is  no  use  for 
me  to  pray  ;  I  obtain  nothing,  neither  the  removal  of  this  cross 
which  is  so  heavy,  nor  the  cure  of  that  disease  which  afflicts  and 
ruins  me."  But,  my  dear  Brethren,  if  hitherto  your  Prayer  has 
not  been  granted,  it  is  because  you  did  not  pray  well, — you  did  not 
ask  with  proper  dispositions.  Beside,  would  what  you  asked  have 
been  advantageous  to  your  immortal  soul,  would  it  have  contributed 
to  your  eternal  salvation  ?  Perhaps,  though  you  considered  it  a 
blessing,  it  would  have  filled  your  heart  with  vanity  and  pride;  and 
free  from  the  cross  and  from  trouble,  you  would  perhaps  forget 
your  God  and  the  salvation  of  your  soul.  God  wishes  to  avert 
from  you  so  great  a  calamity.  It  may  be,  that  restored  to  perfect 
health  and  strength,  you  would  abandon  yourselves  to  the  indulgence 
of  your  passions,  and  plunge  into  every  species  of  vice.  God 
wishes  to  prevent  you  from  falling  into  so  great  a  misfortune. 
Return  thanks  then  to  the  Lord,  who  loves  you  much  more  than 
you  love  yourself.  But,  you  tell  me  that  what  you  request  is  good 
and  salutary  for  you,  and  yet  God  is  slow  in  granting  your  desires : 
My  dear  child,  if  God  does  not  satisfy  your  wishes  in  the  very 
commencement,  it  is  to  make  you  feel  the  value  of  His  favors,  to 

*  1  St.  John,  ii :  1,  2,  f  Romans,  viii :  15. 


156  SHORT    SKKMONS. 

prove  your  faith,  to  exercise  your  patience,  to  render  you  more 
humble,  more  attentive,  more  watchful  over  yourself.  No,  do  not 
murmur ;  have  contideuce,  and  continue  to  pray  as  you  ought,  and 
God  will  grant  your  request  in  his  own  good  time  ;  for  He  wishes 
your  happiness  both  in  this  world  and  the  world  to  come. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXX. 

FIRST  WORDS  OF  THE  PATER  NOSTER. 

THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 


"  You,  therefore,  shall  pray  in  this  manner  :  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven." — 
ST.  MATTHEW,  vi :  9. 

PRAYER,  to  be  agreeable  to  God  and  profitable  to  him  who  prays, 
must  come  from  a  heart  penetrated  with  sorrow  at  sight  of  its  own 
unworthiness,  and  must  be  made  with  recollection,  accompanied  with 
a  great  confidence  in  God.  But  what  are  we  allowed  to  ask  of  the 
Lord  ?  My  Brethren,  God  himself  places  upon  our  lips  the  petitions 
which  we  ought  to  address  to  Him,  and  we  find  them  admirably 
expressed  in  the  Lord's  Prayer.  This  beautiful  Prayer  teaches  us 
both  the  duties  which  we  have  to  fulfill,  and  the  desires  which  we 
ought  to  form  :  it  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  I  should  explain  it 
to  you,  in  all  its  parts.  I  intend  doing  so  with  the  divine  grace, 
and  to-day  I  will  tell  you  the  meaning  of  the  first  words  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer  :  "  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven." 

Prayer  made  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  and  with  the  necessary 
conditions,  is  always  pleasing  to  God  and  useful  to  the  soul.  But, 
my  Brethren,  can  we  pray  better,  in  the  name  of  our  Saviour,  than 
when  we  have  on  our  lips  the  Prayer  which  He  himself  composed  ? 
The  Lord's  Prayer  comes  from  the  Son  of  God  himself.  There  is  no 
Prayer  more  dear  to  the  heart  of  God ;  there  is  none  more  perfect, 
none  more  salutary,  none  which  rises  with  greater  facility  toward 
heaven,  since  from  heaven  it  descended. 


157 

It  is  true,  my  Brethren,  we  can  use  other  forms,  and  employ 
other  expressions,  when  we  speak  to  God  :  but  it  is  not  lawful  for 
us  to  address  to  Him  petitions  which  are  not  contained  in  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  Why  so  ?  Because  it  contains  all  that  is  necessary ;  if 
we  stood  in  need  of  any  thing  else,  our  divine  Saviour  would  most 
assuredly  have  expressed  it  in  the  Prayer  which  He  taught  us. 
Would  not  asking  more  be  as  if  you  were  to  say  to  the  Son  of  God  : 
"  I  know  better  than  you  what  I  need  and  what  is  useful  and  neces- 
sary for  me?"  No,  no,  my  dear  child,  you  do  not  know  better 
than  the  Incarnate  Word  of  God,  what  you  ought  to  ask  from 
heaven.  Listen,  then,  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  say,  from  the  bottom 
of  your  heart,  His  divine  Prayer :  "  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven." 

The  first  word  that  the  Son  of  God  teaches  us  to  pronounce,  is 
the  sweet  name  of  Father.  Do  you  desire  to  obtain  any  favor  from 
the  great  ones  of  this  world  ?  You  take  care  to  begin  your  petition 
by  bestowing  upon  them  the  name  and  titles  which  they  value  and 
cherish  most.  In  like  manner,  according  to  the  order  of  Jesus 
Christ,  when  we  pray  to  God,  we  forget,  in  a  manner,  all  the  attri- 
butes which  place  Him  at  such  an  immense  distance  from  us,  and 
which  can  only  inspire  us  with  sentiments  of  fear,  and  all,  just  and 
unjust,  give  to  the  God  of  glory  and  majesty  the  endearing  name 
of  Father,  because  it  is  by  this  name,  above  all  others,  signifying  as 
it  does  tenderness  and  compassion,  that  He  wishes  to  be  known. 
Does  not  the  Apostle  St.  Paul  tell  us  that  our  God  is  the  source  of 
all  paternity,  that  is  to  say,  of  all  goodness  ?  Does  not  our  Lord 
delight  to  call  himself  "the  Father  of  mercies  and  the  God  of  all 
consolation  V  "  0  !  yes,  the  name  of  Father  is  well  suited  to  the 
God  who  created,  redeemed,  and  by  His  providence,  preserves  us. 

Wre  are  the  children  of  God,  "we  are  the  race  of  God,"  as  the 
Spirit  of  Truth  declares,  and  it  is  through  "  Him  we  live,  move  and 
have  our  being."*  He  created  us  to  His  own  image  and  likeness, 
a  favor  which  He  has  not  granted  to  other  beings ;  hence  He  desires 
that  the  Sacred  Scriptures  call  Him  the  Father  of  all  men,  and  par- 
ticularly of  the  faithful.  Our  heavenly  Father  continually  watches 
over  us,  and  with  so  much  care  that  a  hair  cannot  fall  from  our 
head  without  His  permission,  and  that,  every  day,  His  bountiful 

*  Acts,  xvii :  28. 


158  SHORT    SERMONS. 

providence  sends  us  the  bread  which  we  need,  to  support  our  lives. 
He  bears  our  names  written  in  His  hand,  and  never  forsakes  us  ;  so 
much  so,  that  this  God  of  goodness  wills  that  a  prince  of  heaven, — 
an  angel,  should  ever  attend  at  our  side  and  keep  continual  watch 
over  us. 

We  are  the  children  of  God,  and  we  "have  received  the  spirit  of 
adoption  of  sons,  whereby  we  cry:  Abba,  Father."*  We  were  sin- 
ners,— we  were  children  of  wrath,  and  heaven  was  closed  against 
us ;  but  God  has  paid  our  ransom.  See,  therefore,  what  love  God, 
the  Father,  has  testified  unto  us,  that  we  might  have  the  name  of 
the  children  of  God,  and  which,  in  reality,  we  possess. 

Behold,  how  the  well-beloved  Son  of  God  is  made  flesh,  takes 
upon  Himself  our  iniquities,  and  humbles  Himself,  becoming  obe- 
dient even  unto  the  death  of  the  cross,  that  He  might  redeem  us, — 
that  He  might  save  us  ;  that  we  might  become  the  children  of  God, 
His  brothers,  and  the  co-heirs  of  His  glory.  Well  may  I  then  address 
you  in  those  beautiful  words  of  the  Apostle  St.  John  :  "  Dearly  be- 
loved, we  are  now  the  sons  of  God  :  and  it  hath  not  yet  appeared 
what  we  shall  be.  We  know,  that  when  He  shall  appear,  we  shall 
be  like  to  Him :  because  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is."  \ 

It  was  not  without  the  most  charitable  design,  that  our  divine 
Lord  wished  us  to  commence  our  Prayer  by  the  words  "  Our  Father." 
He  wished  by  this  sweet  name  to  awaken  in  our  hearts  the  love  we 
should  ever  bear  to  God,  because  He  is  our  Father.  And  He  would 
also  by  it  fill  our  souls  with  the  firmest  confidence  in  His  bounty. 
In  fact,  my  Brethren,  what  is  there  that  God  will  not  give  to  those 
who  have  recourse  to  Him,  since  before  they  asked  it,  He  gave  them 
the  grace  of  being  His  children  ?  He  grants  us  then  the  liberty  of 
approaching  Him,  as  children  approach  their  father  ;  of  asking  from 
Him  whatever  we  desire,  for  it  is  almost  out  of  His  power  any 
longer  to  refuse  us  any  thing.  "If  you  then,  being  evil,"  says  our 
divine  Lord,  "know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children,  how 
much  more  will  your  Father,  who  is  in  heaven,  give  good  things  to 
them  that  ask  Him."  J 

Jesus  Christ  did  not  teach  us  to  say  my  Father,  but  Our  Father  ; 
Why  so  ?  To  excite  charity  among  men,  and  to  teach  us  that  we 

*  Romans,  viii :  15.        t  1  St.  John,  iii :  2.        \  St.  Matthew,  vii :  11. 


159 

should  desire  as  well  the  happiness  and  the  progress  in  virtue  of 
others,  as  our  own,  and  should  ask  the  blessings  of  God  for  them, 
as  well  as  for  ourselves.  God  willingly  hears  a  Christian  who 
prays  not  only  for  himself,  but  for  others  also.  Jesus  Christ  wishes 
that  we  should  say,  Our  Father ;  to  remind  us  that  we  are  all 
brethren,  and  that  there  is  but  one  Father  of  us  all,  who  is  in 
heaven  ;*  it  is  to  teach  us  to  renounce  our  pride  and  self-love, 
which  prompt  us  to  prefer  ourselves  to  others ;  it  is  to  destroy 
among  us  every  seed  of  hatred  and  division,  and  that  we  might  all 
live  together  in  the  unity  of  faith,  and  bond  of  peace.  The  first  Chris- 
tians well  understood  what  was  meant  by  the  words,  Our  Father ; 
seeing  them  so  intimately  united,  men  exclaimed  with  astonish- 
ment :  "Behold  how  they  love  one  another.'* 

God  is  in  all  places  by  His  immensity;  why  then  does  our 
Saviour  wish  that  we  should  say,  "  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven  ?  " 
Because  it  is  in  heaven  that  God  has  established  His  throne ;  there 
He  manifests  His  majesty  and  His  glory  to  the  elect ;  there  He  mul- 
tiplies the  effusions  of  His  liberality,  and  inundates  with  happiness 
the  souls  of  His  saints.  Our  loving  Lord  wished  also  to  awaken 
our  faith  and  fortify  our  hope,  by  placing  before  us  the  ravishing 
object  which  alone  can  satisfy  the  infinite  desires  of  our  heart, — 
the  abode  of  the  elert, — where  our  reward  exceedingly  great  awaits 
us,  toward  which  we  should  elevate  our  thoughts  and  our  desires, 
and  which  we  must  labor  to  attain.  Yes,  my  Brethren,  when  we 
pray  to  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven,  let  us  raise  up  our  thoughts 
above  the  things  of  earth.  Let  us  avoid  Praying  only  for  temporal 
advantages,  often  dangerous  to  our  salvation,  while  our  heavenly 
Father  invites  us  to  ask  for  eternal  blessings.  God  loves  you,  for 
He  is  your  Father  ;  He  knows  your  wants, — He  knows  what  is  ne- 
cessary for  your  present  and  future  happiness,  and  what  it  will  serve 
you  to  attain :  have  confidence  ;  He  will  grant  you  temporal  bless- 
ings, but  it  will  be  when  you  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
His  justice,  then  every  thing  else  will  be  added  unto  you.  My  dear 
Brethren,  every  time  you  are  about  to  pray  to  God,  do  not  fail  to 
say  within  yourselves  :  I  am  now  going  to  converse  with  my  God, 
and  to  speak  to  Him  of  what  I  most  need  for  my  soul  and  body. 

*  St.  Matthew,  xxiii :  9. 


160  SHORT    SERMON  S. 

I  will  speak  to  my  God  who  is  in  heaven,  who  permits  me  to  call 
Him  my  Father, — to  my  God,  who  loves  me  as  an  only  child,  who 
watches  over  me  every  day,  and  who  overshadows  me  with  His 
paternal  care.  He  knows  my  wants,  but  He  wishes  me  to  pray  to 
Him,  and  I  ought  to  do  so  with  all  the  confidence  of  a  child  speak- 
ing to  its  father.  Yes,  my  Brethren,  this  is  the  way  in  which  you 
must  pray  to  your  Father,  who  is  in  heaven.  Repeat  often  the 
Prayer  which  our  Lord  taught  you,  and  be  assured  that  your  God, 
your  Father,  will  favorably  receive  your  Prayers ;  He  will  grant 
your  requests,  and  give  you  grace  to  attain  happiness  here  and 
hereafter. — Amen. 


SERMON  XXXI. 

FIRST  PETITION  OF  THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 

THE  LORD'S  PR AYER.— (CONTINUED.) 


"  Not  to  us,  O  Lord,  not  to  us  ;  but  to  Thy  name  give  glory." — PSALMS,  cxiii :  1. 

THE  Lord's  Prayer  is  the  best  Prayer  we  can  address  to  God,  for 
it  has  been  taught  us  by  the  Son  of  God  himself.  It  begins  by 
these  beautiful  words:  "Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven."  This 
endearing  name  of  Father,  which  God  permits  us  to  give  Him, 
reveals  to  us  His  immense  goodness  and  His  boundless  charity.  It 
teaches  us  that  the  Lord  yields  to  our  entreaties,  that  He  pardons 
our  sins,  and  that,  by  a  most  glorious  adoption,  He  has  chosen  us 
as  His  children,  and  wills  that  His  well-beloved  Son  should  call  us 
his  brethren.  A  God  so  perfect  ought  to  be  adored  from  the  bottom 
of  our  hearts :  a  God  so  good,  so  merciful,  ought  to  be  loved  with 
the  liveliest  and  most  intense  love:  hence  we  must  ardently  desire 
and  fervently  pray  that  "His  name  maybe  hallowed."  Such  is  the 
first  petition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  which  I  propose  making  the 
subject  of  my  instruction  to  you  to-day.  The  Lord's  Prayer  con- 


161 

tains  seven  petitions,  which  includes  every  thing  we  ought  to  ask  of 
God,  whether  it  be  for  His  glory,  or  our  own  spiritual  or  temporal 
interests.  The  three  first  petitions  relate  to  God,  and  the  four  last 
refer  to  ourselves. 

In  the  three  first,  we  ask  of  God  that  His  name  may  be  sancti- 
fied, that  He  may  reign  over  us,  and  that  His  holy  will  may  be 
accomplished.  By  putting  these  petitions  in  the  beginning  of  His 
Prayer,  our  divine  Saviour  would  remind  us  of  the  main  end  of 
Prayer,  which  is  to  honor  God ;  and,  as  good  children,  who  love 
their  father  more  than  themselves,  we  occupy  ourselves  first  about 
His  interests,  before  we  think  of  taking  care  of  our  own. 

In  the  four  other  petitions,  we  lay  bare  our  wants  before  the 
Almighty :  we  ask  from  Him  food  for  soul  and  body, — the  necessa- 
ries of  life ;  we  beg  of  Him  to  grant  us  the  pardon  of  our  sins,  to 
help  us  to  overcome  temptation,  to  support  our  weakness,  and  to 
deliver  us  from  all  evils,  both  in  this  life  and  in  the  life  to  come. 
Such  is  the  plan  of  this  divine  Prayer,  which  contains  every  thing 
that  the  most  learned  divines,  or  the  holiest  saints  can  pray  for.  It 
is  a  fund  which  cannot  be  exhausted.  See  if  it  be  not  so,  by  a  con- 
sideration of  what  is  contained  in  the  first  petition :  "Hallowed  be 
Thy  name/' 

Men  desire  and  seek  only  those  things  which  they  do  not  already 
possess,  but  which  they  feel  to  be  wanting  to  them.  Now,  the  divine 
Nature  is  wanting  in  nothing ;  God  possesses  in  himself  every  im- 
aginable perfection,  and  in  an  infinite  degree.  He  can  receive 
nothing  in  time  which  He  has  not  had  from  all  eternity ;  He  is  sus- 
ceptible neither  of  improvement  nor  increase,  since  He  is  infinite  and 
perfect,  under  all  respects.  The  name  of  God  marks  His  essence, 
that  is  to  say,  God  himself, — all  that  He  is, — His  whole  being, — all 
His  divine  attributes  and  perfections ;  in  so  much,  that  this  name  is 
infinitely  holy  and  immutable.  What  then  do  we  ask  by  this  first 
petition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, — "  Hallowed  be  Thy  name  ?"  Do  we 
pray  that  God  would  become  still  more  holy  ?  This  would  be  to 
offer  an  insult  to  God,  who  is  holiness  itself,  and  whose  perfections 
are  infinite.  What  we  ask  of  God  for  himself  regards  neither 
His  perfections,  nor  His  nature,  but  only  His  external  glory  :  "Hal- 
lowed be  Thy  name  !  "  Behold  the  first  desire  of  a  good  son  :  he 
wishes  that  his  father  may  be  known,  loved,  cherished  and  esteemed 
14 


162  SHORT    SERMONS. 

throughout  the  whole  world.  Such  is  the  wish,  such  is  the  desire, 
my  Brethren,  which  you  form  at  the  commencement  of  your  Prayer  : 
you  testify  to  your  heavenly  Father  the  ardent  desire  you  have  of 
seeing  Him,  who  is  worthy  of  all  glory,  revered,  served,  glorified 
and  adored  by  the  whole  universe;  you  ask  that  His  name,  that  is 
to  say,  that  himself,  may  be  blessed  and  extolled  by  all  mankind ; 
you  pray  that  to  yourself  God  would  grant  every  necessary  grace, 
by  which  you  too  may  be  able  to  contribute  to  the  glory  of  your 
Father  and  render  to  Him  your  share  of  fitting  homage,  by  advanc- 
ing continually  in  the  practice  of  every  good  work.  Such  is  the 
first  petition  which  we  make  to  God,  after  acknowledging  Him  as 
our  Father;  for  the  desire  that  God  may  be  blessed  is  essential  to  a 
Christian,  and  God's  glory  should  be  his  first  and  principal  object, 
the  one  which  should  occupy  the  first  place  in  his  heart,  as  St. 
Chrysostom  tells  us. 

To  make  you  understand  this  petition  more  perfectly,  you  must 
know,  that  although  God  is  infinitely  holy,  nevertheless  His  holiness 
is  very  far  from  being  acknowledged  by  the  whole  world.  To  be 
convinced  of  this,  let  us  glance  over  the  globe,  and  see  what  kind 
of  people  inhabit  it.  We  can  not  be  ignorant  that  there  are  yet 
entire  nations  who  have  not  the  happiness  of  knowing  the  true  God ; 
who  do  not  honor  nor  adore  Him.  Such  are  the  nations,  who  to 
this  very  day,  are  buried  in  the  darkness  of  infidelity  and  idolatry. 
Many  know  the  true  God,  but  they  do  not  honor  Him  as  He  wishes 
to  be  honored ;  they  do  not  render  to  Him  the  homage  of  a  pure 
faith  and  a  perfect  worship :  such  are  heretics  and  schismatics.  We 
see  many  others  who,  though  reared  in  the  true  Church,  and  believ- 
ing the  word  of  God,  nevertheless  do  not  glorify  His  name,  for 
they  lead  evil  lives ;  these  are  wicked  Catholics.  Well  then,  my 
Brethren,  whenever  we  repeat  this  petition:  "Hallowed  be  Thy 
name,"  we  beg  of  God,  we  beseech  Him,  that  of  His  mercy  He 
would  shed  the  light  of  faith  upon  the  minds  of  those  poor  pagan 
nations,  and  lead  them  from  the  darkness  of  infidelity,  to  this  fold 
of  Jesus  Christ.  We  entreat  Him  to  bring  back  to  the  bosom  of 
the  true  Church,  all  heretics  and  schismatics ;  we  implore  Him  to 
touch  the  hearts  of  sinners  by  His  grace,  and  thereby  lead  them  to  a 
true  and  lasting  conversion, — to  a  sincere  repentance ;  and,  in  fine,  wo 
Supplicate  Hi  in  to  impress  us  all  with  the  salutary  conviction,  that 


163 

there  is  nothing  so  dreadful  as  sin,  nothing  so  deplorable  as  the  loss 
of  His  grace.  This  is  what  we  ask  by  these  words  :  "  Hallowed  be 
Thy  name."  We  pray  that  the  hearts  of  all  men  may  be  elevated 
to  God, — that  they  may  be  closely  united  with  Him,  and  present  to 
Him  a  pure,  a  holy,  and  an  acceptable  worship,  such  as  the  angels 
and  the  saints  offer  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

You  must  remark  that  when  you  ask  that  the  name  of  your 
heavenly  Father  may  be  hallowed,  you  acknowledge  your  obligation 
of  doing  all  in  your  power  to  have  this  adorable  name  worthily 
praised  and  honored  by  all  around  you.  You  engage  yourselves  to 
perform  your  work,  to  discharge  your  duties,  to  conduct  your  affairs 
to  the  greater  honor  and  glory  of  God.  You  ought,  therefore,  by 
good  advice  and  wholesome  instruction,  endeavor  to  bring  up  your 
children,  and  all  those  under  your  charge,  in  the  love  and  practice 
of  Christian  virtue.  You  should  say  nothing,  you  should  do 
nothing,  you  should  permit  nothing  that  would  be  displeasing  to 
God.  You  ought  to  prevent  evil  everywhere,  when  it  be  in  your 
power  to  do  so.  You  should  in  a  Christian  spirit  oppose  all  such  as 
curse  or  swear  or  blaspheme, — and  should  not  permit  your  children 
or  servants  or  work  people  to  associate  with  them.  You  should  on 
all  occasions  give  good  example.  You  should,  in  fine,  devote  your- 
selves to  fulfilling  these  words  of  our  Saviour  :  "Let  your  light  so 
shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven."*  Do  we,  my  brethren,  act  thus  ? 
Alas  !  your  conduct  is  a  flagrant  contradiction  to  your  professions 
and  your  prayers.  Examine,  and  judge  for  yourselves  ;  every  day 
you  pray,  "Hallowed  be  Thy  name,"  that  God  may  be  known, 
honored,  loved,  and  served  by  the  whole  world;  and  yet  every  day 
you  insult  the  Lord ;  every  day  your  sinful  tongues  utter  impreca- 
tions and  blasphemies ;  every  day  you  abandon  your  hearts  to  the 
slavery  of  sin.  There  is  no  day  on  which  you  do  not  say,  let  thy 
name,  O  Lord  !  be  hallowed,  and  yet  you  do  not  what  you  can  and 
ought  to  do,  to  extend  God's  glory.  It  is  through  your  fault,  in 
fact,  that  your  children  and  domestics  remain  in  culpable  ignorance 
of  the  things  of  God, — unacquainted  with  the  sacred  truths  of  reli- 
gion ;  nay,  perhaps,  even  you  have  sent  these  children  to  wicked 

*  St..  Matthew,- v:  16. 


1(J4  SHOKT     SERMONS. 

schools,  and  given  them  in  charge  to  impious  teachers,  who  mold 
their  tender  minds  to  vice  and  iutidelity.  You  Avho  act  thus,  fail  in 
one  of  your  most  essential  duties ;  with  you  the  Lord  is  not  known, 
nor  loved,  nor  served. 

But  is  it  not  just  that  our  divine  Lord  should  ordain  us  to  ask, 
in  the  first  place,  that  the  name  of  our  heavenly  Father  be  hallowed, 
and  for  grace,  that  we  may  contribute  to  extend  the  glory  of  God, 
and  procure  for  Him  the  adoration  and  homage  of  every  heart  ? 
Is  not  our  God,  Supreme  Master,  and  has  He  not  created  all  things 
for  His  own  glory,  for  himself?  Yes,  children  of  God,  if  your 
hearts  are  in  the  right  place,  you  will  seek  above  all  things  the 
glory  of  your  Father,  who  is  in  heaven,  and  you  will  do  all  that 
you  can,  so  that  on  earth,  as  far  as  possible,  the  name  of  the  Lord 
may  be  blessed,  honored,  praised,  and  hallowed,  by  every  tongue 
and  by  every  heart.  If  you  are  the  true  children  of  God,  you  will 
rejoice  when  you  behold  virtuous  men  leading  others  in  the  paths 
of  virtue,  teaching  them  to  glorify  the  name  of  the  Lord.  If  you 
are  the  true  children  of  God,  your  hearts  will  be  oppressed  with 
sorrow,  when  you  see  the  wicked,  by  bad  example,  leading  others 
into  vice  and  sin,  and  blaspheming  the  name  of  the  Most  High. 
Take  care,  my  Brethren,  take  care,  that  you  be  not  so  ungrateful 
toward  God,  as  to  regard  with  an  equal  eye,  good  and  evil.  And, 
nevertheless,  how  many  a  time  have  you  not  seemingly  said  :  what 
matters  it  to  me  whether  God  be  praised  and  honored,  or  whether 
He  be  despised  and  insulted  by  others  ?  If  you  have  not  at  heart 
the  salvation  of  men,  you  take  no  interest  whatever  in  the  glory  of 
God;  and  may  we  not  well  suppose  that  you  are  guilty  of  deceit, 
when  you  dare  say  to  the  Almighty,  "Hallowed  be  Thy  name?" 
But  do  you  even  honor  God  yourselves  ?  You  pray  ;  but  do  you 
avoid  sin?  I  must  tell  you,  my  Brethren,  if  you  keep  in  your 
hearts  the  love  of  sin,  the  desire  and  the  will  of  violating  the  holy 
law  of  God,  you  bless  not,  you  praise  not,  but  you  outrage  the 
Lord,  wrhen  you  say  to  Him:  "Hallowed  be  Thy  name."  Be 
assured,  God  will  not  condescend  to  hear  you,  He  will  despise  your 
petition,  you  who  act  in  this  manner,  exhibiting  in  your  conduct 
the  very  contrary  of  what  you  ask  in  your  prayers.  From  this  very 
moment,  my  Brethren,  let  us  renounce  every  thing  that  God  pro- 
hibits ;  let  us  abandon  the  ways  of  sin ;  let  us  love  to  labor  for  tto 


THE  LORD'S   P HAYEK.  165 

honor  and  the  glory  of  God  ;  let  us  seek  before  all  things  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  ;  that  is  to  say,  God  himself,  and  the  holiness  which 
conducts  us  to  Him,  and  then  may  we  say  with  truth :  Hallowed 
be  Thy  name.  God  .will  then  hear  us,  He  will  be  sanctified  in  us, 
and  around  us,  and  His  benediction  will  become  our  lot,  for  this 
world  and  for  the  world  to  come. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXXII. 

SECOND  AND  THIRD  PETITIONS  OF  THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 

THE   LORD'S  PR  A  YER.— (CONTINUED.) 


"  Thy  kingdom  come.     Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven." — ST. 
MATTHEW,  vi :  10. 

IN  the  first  petition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  we  desire  that  the  Lord 
our  God,  may  be  known,  loved,  honored  and  served  throughout  the 
whole  world,  as  He  is  known,  loved,  honored  and  served  in  heaven. 
"  Hallowed  be  Thy  name;"  by  addressing  this  Prayer  to  God,  we, 
in  some  manner  engage  ourselves  to  walk  constantly  in  the  practice 
of  virtue,  that  we  may  thereby  contribute  to  the  glory  of  God,  for 
it  is  in  His  saints  that  the  Lord  finds  His  glory.  This  is  \vhat  I 
explained  to  you  in  our  last  instruction.  You  listened  to  me  with 
attention,  and  I  hope  with  profit :  I  beg  of  you  to  extend  to  me 
the  same  good  will,  while  I  unfold  to  you  the  second  and  third 
petitions  of  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

"Thy  kingdom  come;"  such  is  the  second  petition  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer.  Now  what  do  we  ask  by  these  words  from  the 
goodness  of  God  ?  We  ask  not  only  one  kingdom,  but  three 
kingdoms,  all  three  most  worthy  of  our  sighs  and  our  desires,  all 
three  presenting  us  the  most  inestimable  advantages.  We  pray  for 
the  kingdom  of  the  Church  which  our  Saviour  established,  which 
He  unceasingly  directs,  and  from  which  He  will  never  withdraw 
His  aid  and  support.  We  pray  for  the  kingdom  of  graee  ;  that  it 


166  SHORT    bEltMOXS. 

may  enlighten,  animate  and  fortify  all  hearts ;  that  it  may  enable 
them  to  resist  temptation  and  overcome  all  the  obstacles  which  beset 
the  road  to  heaven.  We  pray  for  that  kingdom  which  the  Lord 
recommends  us  to  seek  before  all  things, — the.  kingdom  of  heaven, 
"that  kingdom,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "where  truth  is  the  only 
king,  charity  the  only  law,  and  which  has  eternity  for  its  duration." 
Behold,  my  Brethren,  the  great  and  holy  things  which  we  ask 
from  God,  by  these  words  :  "Thy  kingdom  come."  The  Prophet 
Isaias  says  to  the  Church  of  God  :  "  Enlarge  the  place  of  thy  tent, 
and  stretch  out  the  skins  of  thy  tabernacles,  spare  not :  lengthen  thy 
cords,  and  strengthen  thy  stakes  ;  for  thou  shalt  pass  on  to  the  right 
hand,  and  to  the  left ;  for  He  that  made  thee  shall  rule  over  thee."* 
"The  Lord  shall  arise  upon  thee,  and  His  glory  shall  be  seen  upon 
thee.  And  the  gentiles  shall  walk  in  thy  light,  and  kings  in  the 
brightness  of  thy  rising.  Lift  up  thy  eyes  round  about,  and  see  : 
all  these  are  gathered  together,  they  are  come  to  thee  :  thy  sons 
shall  come  from  afar,  and  thy  daughters  shall  rise  up  at  thy  side.f" 
It  is  the  accomplishment  of  these  words  that  we  beg  of  God  to  bring 
about  in  the  world.  Let  thy  Church,  O  my  God,  be  extended  over 
the  whole  earth ;  let  the  truth  which  Thou  didst  bring  to  mankind, 
shine  as  a  brilliant  light  before  the  eyes  of  all,  and  may  the  nations 
that  sit  in  the  darkness  of  idolatry,  and  in  the  shadow  of  death, 
emerge  from  error,  know  and  love  the  truth,  which  is  the  food  of 
the  mind  and  the  life  of  the  soul.  "Thy  Kingdom  come;"  may 
nations  "and  kings  cease  to  rage  and  devise  vain  things  against  the 
Lord  and  against  His  Christ,"  against  His  Church,  the  guardian  of 
the  only  true  religion ;  may  heresies  be  extinguished,  schisms 
vanish,  incredulity  die,  so  that  there  may  be  but  one  fold,  and  one 
shepherd,  leading  all  in  the  way  of  truth  to  the  possession  of  God. 
"Thy  Kingdom  come  ;"  may  the  authority  of  the  Church  of  God 
find  none  but  docile  hearts  among  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
may  there  be  no  longer  found  in  it  such  as  confess  God  with  their 
mouths,  but  deny  Him  by  their  actions,  whose  faith  is  dead,  and 
over  whom  sin  and  the  devil  rule  as  masters  ;  may  the  floor  of  the 
House  of  God  be  completely  cleansed,  and  may  all,  in  peace,  security 
and  justice,  render  to  God  their  reverence  and  adoration.  The 

*  .Isaiaa,  liv;  2,  3,  5.  f  Isaias,  lx:  2,  3,  .4. 


THE   LORD'S    PRAYER.  167 

triumph  of  religion,  the  propagation  of  the  faith,  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  Church,  these  are  in  a  few  words,  what  we  ask  in  the  first 
place,  when  we  say  ;  "Thy  kingdom  come." 

But,  my  Brethren,  our  wants  are  great  and  our  wanderings 
frequent.  We  form  good  resolutions,  yet  rarely  carry  them  into 
effect.  "For  we  know  that  the  law  is  spiritual,  but  I  am  carnal, 
sold  under  sin.  For  that  which  I  work,  I  understand  not.  For  I  do 
not  that  which  I  will,  but  the  evil  which  I  hate,  that  I  do."*  I 
must  maintain  a  fearful  struggle  against  the  powers  of  darkness, — 
against  my  own  flesh  and  against  the  world,  and  I  am  so  weak !  I 
will  most  certainly  fall  in  the  contest,  unless  the  grace  of  God  pro- 
tect me  and  render  me  strong.  But  let  Thy  kingdom  come,  0  my 
God,  and  I  shall  triumph,  for  in  Thee  who  fortified  me,  I  can  do 
every  thing.  Do  we  then  ask  for  the  kingdom  of  grace  by  these 
words  :  "  Thy  kingdom  come  ?"  We  do :  by  them  we  beg  of  God 
to  aid  us  to  destroy  in  our  hearts  the  empire  of  sin,  bad  habits,  and 
evil  inclinations  ;  we  ask  Him  to  assist  us  to  conquer  our  passions, 
that  the  charity  of  Jesus  Christ  may  live  in  us,  and  that  we  may 
perform  what  He  commands,  that  all  in  us  and  about  us  may  breathe 
the  good  odor  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  may  follow  His  voice  and 
march  under  His  divine  guidance. 

Finally,  if  we  pray  that  the  kingdom  of  truth  may  be  extended 
over  the  whole  earth,  if  we  implore  that  the  kingdom  of  grace  and 
of  charity  may  prevail  in  our  hearts,  it  is  that  we  may  thereby  arrive 
at  the  third  kingdom,  that  of  glory  in  heaven.  We  pray  that  at 
the  hour  of  our  death,  heaven  may  be  opened  to  us,  and  that  we 
may  have  a  place  in  the  paradise  of  God.  But  the  foolish  virgins 
spoken  of  in  the  Gospel,  likewise  prayed  to  be  admitted  into  the 
joy  of  their  Lord,  and  this  happiness  was  refused  them.  Why  ? 
Because  they  had  not  done  what  they  should  have  done  to  have 
their  prayer  heard.  We  alse  pray  that  we  may  obtain  heaven ;  but 
will  it  be  given  to  us?  God  promises  it  not  to  idleness  and  sloth, 
not  to  those  who  are  content  with  saying  :  "Lord,  Lord  ;"  but  to 
those  who  do  violence  to  themselves,  to  those  who  "do  the  will  of 
the  heavenly  Father;"  for  He  says  to  us:  "If  thou  wilt  enter 
into  life,  keep  the  commandments."  Hence,  our  blessed  Lord 

;v_  .*  Romans,  vii :  14,15.  . 


168  SHORT    SERMONS. 

was  pleased  that  to  this  petition  there  should  be  immediately  added 
another,  which  is  the  third:  "Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven."  The  first  words  of  our  Lord  when  entering  into 
the  world,  were  these :  "I  came  not  to  do  my  will,  but  the  will  of 
my  Father,  who  sent  me;"  and,  my  Brethren,  "He  was  obedient 
even  to  the  death  of  the  cross.  We  also  come  into  this  world, 
not  to  do  our  own  will,  but  the  ever  adorable  will  of  God.  We 
must,  therefore,  do  every  thing  which  our  heavenly  Father  requires 
of  us ;  we  must  obey  His  law,  and  patiently  carry  the  burden  of  the 
cross  which  He  has  placed  upon  our  shoulders.  But  without  the 
assistance  of  the  Divine  Grace,  will  we  be  strong  enough  to  accom- 
plish this  ?  Alas  !  my  Brethren,  we  are  weak  and  inconstant ! 
Therefore  it  was  that  our  divine  Saviour  wished  us  to  say  to  His 
heavenly  Father:  0  my  God,  "let  Thy  will  be  done."  You  pray 
for  strength  to  serve  the  Lord,  all  the  days  of  your  life,  injustice  and 
in  holiness  ;  you  beg  Him  to  incline  your  heart  toward  His  holy 
law,  and  to  grant  you  the  grace  to  walk  patiently  and  firmly  in  the 
paths  in  which  His  fatherly  Providence  saw  proper  to  place  you, 
despite  the  murmurs  and  complaints  of  the  flesh, — despite  the  jeers 
and  contempt  of  the  false  wisdom  of  the  world.  May  this  divine 
will  be  done  "on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  That  is  to  say,  you  ask 
that  all  men,  during  their  whole  lives,  may  testify  by  their  sub- 
mission to  their  Supreme  Ruler,  the  same  fidelity,  the  same  zeal,  the 
same  eagerness  as  the  angels  in  heaven,  who  manifest  without  con- 
straint a  full  and  complete  confidence  in  God.  You  pray  that  we 
should  all  accomplish  the  holy  will  of  the  Lord,  our  God,  as 
perfectly  as  the  angels  do  in  heaven,  so  that  the  earth  may  be  to 
Him  as  pleasing  a  spectacle  as  heaven. 

"Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  in  heaven."  You  pray  for 
grace,  strength,  courage  and  patience.  Is  it  from  your  heart  that 
you  address  this  Prayer  to  the  Lord  ?  If  so,  you  will  not  be  unwise, 
says  the  Apostle,  but  you  will  understand  what  is  the  will  of  God  ; 
you  will  know  that  if  your  heavenly  Father  wishes  you  to  suffer,  it 
is  to  correct  you  and  save  you ;  and  whatsoever  affliction  heaven 
sends  you,  you  will  not  even  think  of  complaining,  but  will  bless 
the  merciful  hand  of  God,  our  Father,  who  is  in  heaven,  and  who 
seeks  the  happiness  of  His  children. 

"Thy  kingdom  come."     Let  us,  my  Brethren,  pro/e  that  this 


169 

desire  truly  comes  from  our  hearts,  and  let  us  cease  opposing  the 
establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  our  souls  :  let  us,  there- 
fore, courageously  struggle  against  the  passions  of  our  corrupt 
nature,  and  ever  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  bad  counsels  and  the 
dangerous  suggestions  of  the  world  and  the  devil,  the  capital 
enemies  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven."  Let  us  love  and  seek  what  God  wills, — what  God  loves. 
But  He  wills  that  we  accomplish  His  holy  law  ;  that  renouncing 
ourselves,  we  carry  our  cross  with  patience ;  that  we  advance  in  the 
ways  of  perfection  to  which  He  calls  us,  and  which  conduct  us  to 
heaven. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXXIII. 

FOURTH  AND  FIFTH  PETITIONS  OF   THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 

THE   LORD'S  PR AYER.— (CONTINUED.) 


"Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.     And  forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we 
forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us." — THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 

IN  the  first  three  petitions  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  my  Brethren,  we 
ask  that  the  holy  name  of  God  may  be  hallowed,  that  He  may  be 
known,  loved,  served  and  honored  throughout  the  world ;  that  His 
kingdom  may  come  upon  us,  that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  is  the  guardian  of  truth,  may  he  propagated  among  all 
nations ;  that  grace  may  reign  in  our  hearts,  and  that  we  may  all 
be  one  day  received  into  the  kingdom  of  God  in  heaven. 

We  now  come  to  those  petitions  of  this  divine  Prayer,  which 
have  special  reference  to  ourselves.  Be  very  attentive  then,  while 
I  explain  for  you  these  beautiful  words :  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread,  and  forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them  that 
trespass  against  us." 

"  O  Lord,"  says  the  royal  prophet,  "  all  expect  of  Thee  that  Thon 
15 


170  SHORT    SERMONS. 

give  them  food  in  season."*  From  our  very  birth,  my  Brethren, 
both  our  soul  and  our  body  should  say  to  the  Lord:  "Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread."  But  what  do  we  ask  by  these  words  ? 
We  ask  every  thing  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  life  of 
the  soul.  The  body  needs  material  nourishment  to  support  it; 
supernatural  food  is  necessary  for  the  soul,  to  preserve  its  spiritual 
life.  We  ask  for  our  body  food,  raiment  and  lodging,  in  a  word, 
every  thing  necessary  for  our  temporal  life.  "  Give  us  this  day 
our  daily  bread."  We  pray  also  for  the  bread  of  the  soul.  What 
is  this  bread  ?  It  is  sanctifying  grace,  which,  entering  into  our 
soul,  nourishes  it,  fortifies  it,  and  enables  it  to  perform  those  good 
works,  which  merit  for  it  the  rewards  of  heaven.  This  bread  of 
the  soul  is  the  word  of  God,  which  confirms  the  soul  in  the  love 
and  practice  of  virtue;  for  our  Saviour  has  told  us,  "man  liveth 
not  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the 
mouth  of  God."f  This  bread  of  the  soul  is  above  all,  the  adorable 
Eucharist,  the  living  bread  that  came  down  from  heaven,  which 
assists  us  to  advance  even  to  the  mountain  of  God, — to  heaven  ; 
for  our  loving  Lord  assures  us,  that  he  who  will  eat  this  bread 
shall  have  eternal  life. 

Behold,  my  Brethren,  what  is  contained  in  these  words  :  "  Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread."  You  beg  of  God  to  maintain  you  in 
His  grace,  to  make  you  hear  attentively  and  willingly  His  vivifying 
word,  to  grant  you  the  happiness  of  receiving  worthily,  and  into  a 
pure  and  spotless  heart,  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
inestimable  pledge  of  eternal  life.  You  ask  from  the  goodness  of 
God  for  bread  to  nourish  your  body,  raiment  to  cover  it,  and  all 
other  things  necessary  to  preserve  its  existence  during  your  short 
stay  in  this  world. 

God  said  to  Adam  when  he  had  sinned  :  "  Cursed  is  the  earth  in 
thy  work :  with  labor  and  toil  shalt  thou  eat  thereof  all  the  days 
of  thy  life.  Thorns  and  thistles  shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee ;  in  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread. "J  Was  the  law  of  labor 
abolished  by  the  Son  of  God  ?  No.  Why  then  does  He  wish  that 
we  should  seek  our  daily  bread,  not  in  the  sweat  of  our  brow,  but 
from  God  !  Because  it  is  not  in  our  power  to  make  the  corn  grow. 

*  Psalms,  ciii :  97.     '    t .St.  Matthew,  iv :  4.         J  Genesis,  iii :  17, 18, 19. 


THE    LORD'S    PRAYER.  171 

Unless  God  preserves  the  grain  which  you  plant  in  the  earth,  it  will 
be  choked  out  hy  weeds,  or  destroyed  by  rain,  wind,  hail,  heat  or 
rust.  All  our  efforts  are  useless,  all  our  hopes  are  vain,  when  God 
does  not  bless  our  labor.  Neither  he  who  sows,  nor  he  who  culti- 
vates is  anything ;  it  is  God  alone  who  gives  the  increase ;  it  is  God 
alone  who  multiplies  the  grain  and  makes  fruitful  the  precious  seed 
which  your  hand  confided  to  the  earth.  Entreat  the  Lord  then, 
to  bless  the  work  of  your  hands  ;  but  at  the  same  time,  avoid  idle- 
ness, for  God  is  opposed  to  sloth,  and  declares  that  the  idle  man  is 
not  worthy  of  the  bread  which  he  eats. 

But  why  does  our  Saviour  wish  us  to  ask  for  bread  enough  only 
for  one  day  ?  We  ought  to  ask  only  for  what  is  strictly  necessary, 
because  superfluities,  beside  being  useless,  are  oftentimes  dangerous. 
Temporal  riches  are  most  frequently  accompanied  by  vice  and  dis- 
order, by  forgetfulness  of  God,  and  contempt  of  the  goods  of  hea- 
ven. "For  they  who  would  become  rich,  fall  into  temptation,  and 
into  the  snare  of  the  devil,  and  into  many  unprofitable  and  hurtful 
desires,  which  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition."*  We  do 
not  even  ask  that  God  would  enable  us  to  live  in  abundance,  and 
enjoy  good  cheer  like  that  rich  man,  who,  as  the  Gospel  tells  us,  was 
buried  in  hell.  We  ought  to  be  far  removed  from  the  desire  of 
living  in  abundance,  as  by  such  a  life  we  consume  what  justly 
belongs  to  others, — to  our  indigent  brethren  who  languish  in 
misery,  and  are  frequently  a  prey  to  the  horrors  of  famine. 

It  is  not  our  yearly  bread,  our  weekly  bread,  but  our  daily  bread 
that  we  ought  to  ask  of  God ;  for  there  is  no  day  on  which  we 
do  not  need  the  aid,  the  assistance,  and  the  blessings  of  heaven. 
Every  day,  food  is  necessary  for  our  support ;  every  day,  the  rich 
as  well  as  the  poor  ought  to  pray  for  it.  "Not  that  the  rich  want 
the  necessaries  of  life,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "  but  that  their  food 
may  come  to  them  from  the  hand  of  God,  and  may  receive  from 
the  Almighty  a  salutary  virtue,  rendering  it  useful  to  the  body  and 
subjecting  the  body  to  the  soul." 

You  ought  to  ask  only  your  daily  bread,  for  God  wishes  that  you 
would  learn  how  to  hope  for  the  things  of  to-morrow,  with  a  loving 
confidence  in  His  divine  providence.  Will  you  live  till  to-morrow  ? 

*  1  Timothy,  vi :  9. 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

If  you  do,  then,  as  well  as  to-day,  God  will  be  your  Father.  Does 
it  follow  from  this  that  God  condemns  all  care  for  the  future  ? 
Certainly  not ;  but  He  does  condemn  that  excessive  anxiety  about 
the  future,  which  causes  men  to  devote  all  their  energies  to  acquiring 
the  goods  of  this  world,  without  any  reference  to  the  world  to  come. 
He  does  condemn  those  people  who  are  ever  lamenting  the  hardness 
of  the  times,  although  they  want  nothing,  and  who  have  no  com- 
passion for  the  poor,  who  stand  in  need  of  every  thing. 

My  Brethren,  let  us  now  pass  to  the  fifth  petition  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  What  do  we  ask  of  God  by  these  words  :  "  Forgive  us 
our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us."  We 
ask  pardon  of  the  sins  which  we  have  had  the  misfortune  to  commit 
against  our  heavenly  Father ;  we  beg  the  divine  Mercy  to  permit 
the  merits  of  the  passion  and  death  of  our  loving  Saviour  to  enter 
into  our  souls,  that  every  stain  of  sin  may  be  by  them  blotted  out. 
But  you  know  that  God  forgives  only  the  repenting  sinner :  you 
pray  then  before  all,  for  the  grace  of  repentance,  for  a  true  contrition, 
which  will  lead  you  to  the  feet  of  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
help  you  to  intrust  to  him  an  humble  confession  of  your  sins.  Oh ! 
pray  in  all  humility, — you  will  be  heard,  and  God  in  His  goodness 
will  give  you  the  kiss  of  peace  and  reconciliation. 

At  the  same  time,  pay  great  attention  to  these  words  :  "Forgive 
us,  as  we  forgive."  You  desire  to  obtain  from  the  bounty  of  God 
the  grace  of  repentance,  the  happiness  of  having  your  sins  effaced : 
God  also  ardently  wishes  it,  but  on  condition  that  you  pardon 
completely,  sincerely,  cordially  and  unreservedly,  those  who  have 
injured  you.  The  Holy  Ghost  thus  speaks  with  indignation  of  the 
man  who  will  not  forgive  injuries  :  "  He  that  seeketh  to  revenge 
himself,  shall  find  vengeance  from  the  Lord  :  and  he  will  surely 
keep  his  sins  in  remembrance.  Man  to  man  reserveth  anger ;  and 
doth  he  seek  remedy  of  God  ?  He  hath  no  mercy  on  a  man  like 
himself ;  and  doth  he  entreat  for  his  own  sins  ?  He  that  is  but 
flesh  nourisheth  anger  ;  and  doth  he  ask  forgiveness  of  God  ?  who 
shall  obtain  pardon  for  his  sins  ?"*  "The  Lord  will  show  mercy  to 
him  who  has  been  merciful :"  but  if  hatred,  bitterness,  rancor  and 
resentment  be  fostered  in  your  hearts,  the  God  who  pardoned  His 

*Ecclesiasticus,  xxviii :  1,  3,  4,  5. 


PRAYER.  17o 

very  executioners,  will  refuse  your  pardon.  No  forgiveness,  He 
says,  no  mercy  for  him  who  will  not  forgive  his  brother.  0  ye 
whose  hearts  are  filled  with  desires  of  revenge, — what  an  awful 
prayer  is  that  you  offer,  when  you  dare  say  to  the  Almighty: 
"  Forgive  us,  as  we  forgive  others  ?"  You  will  not  forgive  others  ; 
do  you  not,  therefore,  pronounce  your  own  condemnation  ?  And  if 
at  the  moment  of  your  death,  the  bitterness  of  rancor  still  holds 
possession  of  your  hearts,  God  will  never  extend  to  you  His  forgive- 
ness. My  Brethren,  where  the  love  of  God  and  of  our  neighbor, 
where  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  a  spirit  of  meekness  and 
bounty  reign, — there  also  reign  peace  and  happiness.  Let  us,  there- 
fore, drive  from  our  hearts  every  sentiment  of  hatred  and  rancor, — 
let  us  pardon  and  remit  the  few  pence  our  neighbor  owes  us,  let  us 
cease  to  regard  the  evil  he  has  done  us,  and  think  no  more  about  it. 
When  the  remembrance  of  it  presents  itself  to  our  minds,  let  us 
immediately  reject  the  thought,  and  from  our  heart  sincerely  express 
our  forgiveness  of  it ;  then  will  our  heavenly  Father  forgive  us  the 
ten  thousand  talents  which  we  owe  Him ;  He  will  entirely  efface  our 
sins ;  He  will  make  them  as  if  they  had  never  been.  He  will  cast 
them  behind  Him,  says  the  prophet,  that  He  may  no  more  see 
them  ;  He  will  receive  us  into  the  bosom  of  His  mercy,  one  day  to 
translate  us  thence  to  the  bosom  of  His  glory  in  the  paradise  of  His 
eternal  light. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXXIV. 

SIXTH  AND  SEVENTH  PETITIONS  OF  THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 

THE   LORD'S  PRAYER.— (CONTINUED.) 


"  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation  ;  but  deliver  us  from  evil." — ST.  MATTHEW,  vi. 

GIVE  us  this  day  our  daily  bread  :  we  have  asked  of  our  God  the 
material  bread  by  which  our  lives  are  supported  ;  we  have  besought 
our  heavenly  Father  to  supply  our  temporal  wants,  to  give  us 


174  SHORT    SERMONS. 

lodging  to  shelter,  and  clothing  to  cover  us.  We  have  asked  food 
for  our  souls,  that  is  to  say,  the  grace  of  God,  to  sanctify  them ; 
the  divine  Word,  to  enlighten  them  ;  the  adorable  Eucharist,  to  enter 
them,  as  a  pledge  to  eternal  life.  But  God  will  not  dwell  in  our 
hearts  if  they  be  stained  with  sin ;  hence  we  send  up  to  Him  sighs 
of  repentance  and  pray  for  the  grace  of  forgiveness, — a  grace  which 
will  be  given  us,  if  we  ourselves  forgive  those  who  have  offended 
us.  Behold,  my  Brethren,  the  meaning  of  the  two  petitions  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer  which  I  explained  to  you  in  our  last  instruction. 
To-day  I  will  conclude  the  explanation  of  the  divine  Prayer  which 
our  Saviour  has  taught  us,  by  unfolding  the  meaning  of  the  last 
two  petitions. 

When  children  have  obtained  from  their  father  pardon  of  their 
offences,  what  remains  for  them  to  do,  except  henceforward  to  avoid 
these  faults,  and,  by  conducting  themselves  wisely,  virtuously  and 
irreproachably  for  the  future,  to  console  their  indulgent  parent  whose 
heart  they  had  previously  saddened  ?  It  is  thus  the  Lord  wishes 
us  to  act.  We  have  asked  of  God  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins,  and 
He  has  granted  our  request ;  He  desires  us  now  to  pray  for  the  grace 
not  to  relapse  into  them  ;  He  wishes  that  we  should  say  to  Him 
often:  "Lead  us  not  into  temptation."  But,  my  Brethren,  what 
is  the  meaning  of  these  words,  which  compose  the  sixth  petition  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer?  Before  I  answer  this  question,  I  wish  you  to 
understand  well  the  signification  of  the  word  temptation.  In  the 
language  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  word  temptation  has  two  very 
different  meanings.  In  the  first  place,  temptation  signifies  trial.  The 
Lord  often  tempts  man  in  this  sense  of  the  word.  Yes,  my  Friends, 
often,  and  in  various  ways,  does  the  Lord  our  God  try  the  virtue 
of  his  children,  to  see  whether  they  truly  love  Him  ;  whether  they 
are  devoted  to  Him,  in  heart  and  in  soul.  Not  that  God  does  not 
know  the  most  intimate  affections  and  the  most  secret  dispositions 
of  every  one  of  us,  for  every  thing  is  open  before  the  Lord ;  He 
searches  the  hearts  and  the  reins,  He  knows  the  most  hidden 
thoughts  of  our  minds,  He  sees  into  the  deepest  recesses  of  our 
souls  :  why  then  does  He  wish  these  trials?  It  is  that  the  hearts 
of  His  servants  and  the  virtues  which  embellish  their  souls  may  be 
known  by  other  men  and  revealed  to  the  world.  Abraham  and 
Sara  were  old :  nevertheless,  God  promises  to  His  servant  that  he 


THE    LORirS    PKAYEK.  175 

should  have  a  son,  that  he  should  be  the  father  of  a  numerous  pos- 
terity, and  He  gives  to  him  Isaac,  that  child  of  benediction.  But  see, 
the  Sovereign  Master  commands  the  holy  patriarch  to  immolate 
this  only  child,  on  whose  head  rested  such  glorious  hopes.  Abraham 
is  about  to  obey,  when  an  angel  arrests  his  arm.  How  terrible  a 
trial  this  must  have  been !  But,  without  it,  we  would  not  have 
known  how  admirable  was  the  faith  of  Abraham,  and  how  heroic 
was  his  obedience.  It  was  for  this  reason  the  Lord  wished  to  try 
His  servant  thus. 

In  the  second  place,  to  tempt,  signifies  to  induce  to  evil,  to  excite 
to  sin,  to  drive  man  to  his  destruction.  It  is  peculiar  to  the  devil 
to  tempt  us  in  this  manner ;  he  tempts  us  only  to  deceive  us  and 
bring  about  our  ruin.  God  never  makes  use  of  this  kind  of  temp- 
tation ;  He  wishes  it  not, — he  can  not  wish  it, — He,  the  holy  and 
the  just,  to  whom  the  sinner  and  his  wickedness  are  hateful  alike. 
If  God  tempted  men  thus,  He  would  be  the  author  of  sin ;  the  mere 
thought  of  which,  would  be  a  horrible  crime  and  blasphemy.  "  Let 
no  man,  when  he  is  tempted,  say  that  he  is  tempted  of  God  :  for 
God  is  not  a  tempter  of  evils,"*  says  the  Holy  Ghost. 

God  is  just,  and  his  judgments  are  righteous,  and  nevertheless, 
He  permits  that  you  should  be  tempted  by  the  devil,  by  your  own 
concupiscence  and  your  passions.  It  is  because  temptation  is  often- 
times very  advantageous  to  you.  You  are  tempted,  my  Brethren ;  it 
is  to  make  you  feel  your  own  weakness,  to  teach  you  to  distrust 
yourselves, — and  the  little  reliance  you  should  place  on  your  own 
strength.  You  are  tempted  ;  it  is  because  God  desires  to  force  you 
to  have  recourse  to  Him,  who  alone  constitutes  all  our  strength ; 
He  wishes  "  that  you  should  lift  up  your  eyes  to  heaven,  whence  all 
salvation  cometh."  You  are  tempted;  God  suffers  it,  to  purify 
your  hearts  ;  for  the  Holy  Ghost  assures  us  that,  as  fire  tries  and 
purifies  gold,  so  does  temptation  try  and  purify  the  just  man  more 
and  more.  God  permits  you  to  be  tempted,  to  afford  you  oppor- 
tunities for  exercising  and  acquiring  virtues,  for  you  can  acquire 
them  only  by  practicing  them,  and  you  can  never  practice  them  so 
well  as  during  the  time  of  temptation.  At  the  same  time,  we  must 
take  care  not  to  yield  to  the  temptation  ;  and  yet  we  will  yield  if  the 

*  St.  James,  i:  13. 


176  S  H  O  K  T    S  E  K  M  O  N  S  . 

grace  of  God  come  not  to  our  assistance,  for  our  weakness  is  exceed- 
ing great ! 

It  is  this  powerful  help  of  grace  that  our  Saviour  teaches  us  to  ask 
of  God  by  these  words:  "Lead  us  not  into  temptation."  We 
pray  to  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven,  not  to  forsake  us  when  temp- 
tation assails  us ;  we  beg  Him  to  take  us  under  His  holy  and  power- 
ful protection,  and  to  arm  us  with  His  grace,  that  we  may  worthily 
fight  the  battle  of  faith,  and  be  crowned  with  a  glorious  victory. 
We  ask  not  for  the  removal  of  all  temptation  ;  for  that  would  be  to 
ask  for  an  impossibility.  Servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  you  ought  to  be 
satisfied  to  be  treated  like  your  divine  Master;  and  Jesus  Christ, 
your  Master,  was  tempted.  The  enemy  of  God  is  eager  to  perse- 
cute you,  it  is  a  good  sign  ;  it  is  a  mark  that  you  belong  to  God ;  it 
is  perhaps  because  you  have  in  your  soul  the  glorious  character  of 
the  elect.  "Blessed  is  the  man/'  says  the  Holy  Ghost  "that 
endureth  temptation :  for  when  he  hath  been  proved,  he  shall 
receive  the  crown  of  life,  which  God  hath  promised  to  them  that 
love  him."*  Champion  of  the  faith,  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,  resist 
temptation;  thus  will  you  treasure  up  riches  for  yourself  in  heaven  ; 
thus  will  you  merit  the  crown  of  immortality, — a  place  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Lord. 

Not  to  yield  to  temptation,  is  it  enough  to  pray  ?  No  ;  Jesus 
Christ  tells  us  that  we  must  also  watch.  That  is  to  say,  my 
Brethren,  you  must  remove  from  you  arid  carefully  avoid  every 
thing  which  leads  you  to  temptation  and  to  sin ;  you  must  take 
special  care  that  the  devil  does  not  surprise  you.  We  complain  of 
this  great  enemy  of  our  salvation,  and  yet  we  leave  all  the  doors  of 
our  heart  open  for  him ;  he  would  cease  to  be  dangerous  if  he  could 
only  roar  outside.  Know  that  the  enemy  of  our  salvation  is  strong 
only  through  our  rashness,  and  that  our  rashness  produces  our  want 
of  strength.  To  expose  yourselves  willfully  to  sin,  is  in  itself  a  sin. 
Do  you  think,  then,  that  your  prayer  will  be  heard,  when  you  do 
not  shun  the  occasion  of  evil  ?  You  walk  along  the  brink  of  a 
precipice  boldly  and  unconcernedly,  and  you  say  to  God  :  Lord, 
keep  me  from  falling :  of  your  own  accord,  you  enter  a  furnace,  and 
you  say:  Lord,  keep  me  from  burning.  But,  he  who  loves  the 

*  St.  James,  i :  12. 


THE  LORD'S  PKAYER.  177 

danger  will  perish  in  the  danger.  Watch  and  pray  that  ye  enter 
not  into  temptation,  and  the  grace  of  God  will  come  to  you  from 
on  high.  The  just  have  cried  to  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  has  heard 
their  supplications,  and  He  has  delivered  them  from  their  tribu- 
lations. This  is  what  we  ask  from  God  in  the  last  petition  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer  : — "but  deliver  us  from  evil." 

How  good  our  God  is !  how  wide  the  extent  He  has  given  to  His 
Prayer.  This  last  petition,  in  some  measure,  embraces  all  the 
others.  In  fact,  we  here  pray  for  deliverance  from  all  evils, 
whether  of  this  world  or  of  the  world  to  come.  We  beg  of  God 
to  preserve  us  from  a  sudden  and  an  unprovided  death,  from  the 
awful  punishments  which  await  the  impenitent  sinner  in  hell,  and 
from  the  fire  which  purifies  the  souls  in  purgatory.  We  entreat 
Him  to  save  us  from  water,  from  fire,  from  thunder  and  lightning, 
from  wars  and  civil  commotions.  We  implore  Him  to  remove 
far  from  us,  sickness,  havoc,  famine,  snares  and  treason.  We  ask, 
in  a  word,  that  riches,  honors,  health,  and  even  life  may  never  be  to 
us  a  source  of  sin, — may  never  turn  to  our  misfortune  and  the  ruin 
of  our  immortal  souls. 

"Amen:"  that  is  to  say,  may  it  be  done  as  we  have  prayed  ;  may 
all  our  petitions  be  granted ;  we  believe  that  it  will  be  so,  we  hope 
it.  "Amen  :"  such  the  concluding  word  of  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
This  conclusion  should  be  pronounced  with  special  piety  and  sin- 
cerity, as  well  to  supply  our  want  of  attention  and  fervor  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  Prayer,  as  to  make  a  last  effort  to  touch  the  heart 
of  our  heavenly  Father. 

Nothing  is  more  holy,  more  affecting,  more  sublime,  or  more 
efficacious  than  the  Lord's  Prayer.  It  is  the  Prayer  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  in  the  words  which  we  pronounce,  "Our  Father,"  who  is  the 
Father  of  our  Saviour,  recognizes  the  words  of  His  well-beloved 
Son,  of  the  Son  who  became  a  victim  of  reconciliation  for  our  sins, 
through  obedience  to  His  Father.  Whenever  we  devoutly  say, 
"  Our  Father,"  God  will  hear  us;  for  the  Son  of  God,  who  dwells 
in  our  hearts,  will  be  on  our  lips ;  and  can  God  refuse  the  Prayer 
of  Jesus,  His  Son?  The  Lord's  Prayer  is  a  golden  key,  by  which 
we  can  open  all  the  treasures  of  heaven.  May  all  then,  love  it, 
venerate  it,  and  esteem  it  as  the  most  precious  of  blessings  ;  make 
frequent  use  of  it, — for  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  they  who 


178  SHORT    SERMONS. 

will  recite  this  beautiful  Prayer  in  the  way  God  desires  us  to  recite 
it,  that  is,  with  heart  and  soul,  will  obtain  every  thing  necessary 
for  them  in  this  life,  and  will  one  day  be  put  in  possession  of  the 
unspeakable  treasures  of  a  happy  eternity. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXXV. 

THE    HAIL   MART. 


"  Hail,  full  of  grace." — LUKE,  i :  28. 

THE  "Our  Father"  is  the  most  excellent  of  all  prayers,  as  it  came 
from  heaven,  and  was  communicated  to  us  by  the  Father  himself 
through  the  Son  ;  it  is  therefore  the  best  prayer  we  can  address  to 
our  heavenly  Father.  So,  from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other, 
it  is  constantly  ascending  from  Christian  hearts  to  heaven.  What 
graces  will  not  this  beautiful  prayer  obtain  for  us,  and  what  blessed 
fruits  of  salvation  will  it  not  produce  in  us,  if  it  is  offered  to 
God  by  the  spotless  hands  of  Mary  ?  How  powerful  before  God  is 
the  intercession  of  Mary !  Therefore  doubtless  it  is,  that  every- 
where the  Lord's  Prayer  is  always  immediately  followed  by  the 
Hail  Mary.  You  love  this  salutary  prayer,  and  I  doubt  not  you 
will  repeat  it  with  still  greater  fervor,  when  I  shall  have  told  you 
the  meaning  of  the  beautiful  words  of  which  it  is  composed. 

The  Hail  Mary  is  so  called  from  the  first  words  of  which  it  is 
composed,  and  which  were  addressed  by  the  angel  Gabriel  to  the 
blessed  Virgin  Mary  when  he  announced  to  her  that  she  would 
become  the  Mother  of  God.  It  is  divided  into  three  parts.  The 
first  was  made  by  the  angel;  it  consists  in  these  words:  "Hail 
Mary,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee."  The  second,  are  the 
words  of  St.  Elizabeth,  who  said  to  Mary :  "  Blessed  art  thou 
among  women;  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb."*  The  third 

*  Luke,  i :  42. 


THE    HAIL   MARY.  179 

part  is  a  prayer  added  by  the  Church,  beginning  with  the  words  : 
"Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,"  by  which  words  the  Church  assem- 
bled in  council  at  Ephesus,  crushed  the  heresy  which  dared  to  deny 
to  Mary  the  glorious  title  of  Mother  of  God.  Is  not  this  prayer 
therefore  truly  excellent,  and  have  not  the  words  which  compose  it 
been  first  uttered  by  holy  lips?  Yes,  my  Brethren;  and  there  is  no 
other  by  which  we  can  so  well  praise,  bless  and  invoke  the  holy 
Virgin.  How  in  fact  can  we  praise  the  blessed  Virgin  in  a  manner 
more  agreeable  to  her,  than  by  addressing  her  in  the  words  which 
she  first  heard  from  the  mouth  of  an  angel,  when  he  came  to  an- 
nounce to  her  the  wonders  which  the  Most  High  was  about  to  work 
in  her,  and  which  exalted  her  to  the  highest  degree  of  glory  and 
grandeur?  Can  we  venerate  the  holy  Mother  of  God  more,  than 
by  recalling  to  memory,  and  fixing  in  our  hearts  the  adorable 
mystery  of  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  repeating  these 
words  of  St.  Elizabeth:  "Blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb;" 
that  is  to  say,  blessed  be  that  mystery  so  glorious  to  thee,  0  holy 
Virgin !  blessed  be  that  heavenly  fruit  of  life,  Jesus,  our  Redeemer, 
whom  thy  chaste  womb  has  given  us:  thanks  be  to  thee,  O 
Mary !  and  blessed  be  thou  forever,  for  thou  hast  been  made  the 
instrument  of  giving  to  the  world  the  Divine  Liberator,  who  came 
to  crush  the  serpent's  head  ;  to  break  the  chains  of  our  shameful 
bondage,  and  blot  out  the  sentence  of  death  which  had  been  written 
against  us.  Yes,  holy  Virgin,  be  thou  forever  blessed, — thou  and 
Jesus,  the  fruit  of  thy  womb  ! 

My  Brethren,  these  words  of  thanksgiving  open  Mary's  heart  to 
us,  and  naturally  lead  us  to  address  to  her  a  petition  which  can  not 
fail  to  please  her.  It  is  contained  in  these  words  :  "Holy  Mary, 
Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  now,  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death." 
Let  us  pray  with  all  confidence,  for  we  are  the  brethren  of  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  Mary,  our  mother,  will  hear  us.  Let  us  now  see,  my 
Brethren,  what  are  the  sacred  truths  contained  in  the  words  of 
which  the  Hail  Mary  is  composed. 

The  archangel  Gabriel  salutes  Mary  by  the  title  "  full  of  grace." 
What  do  these  beautiful  words  signify  ?  They  signify  that  Mary 
alone  received  from  God  more  graces  than  all  other  creatures  to- 
gether; they  teach  us  that  God,  having  chosen  Mary  among  all 
the  daughters  of  Sion,  to  be  the  Mother  of  His  well-beloved  Son, 


180  SHORT   SERMONS. 

enriched  her  with  His  gifts,  heaped  upon  her  His  favors,  and  poured 
upon  her  all  the  treasures  of  His  bounty.  "Many  daughters  have 
gathered  together  riches;  thou  hast  surpassed  them  all!"*  0 
Mother  of  God !  they  participated  in  the  graces  of  the  Lord ;  but 
thou,  0  Mary,  art  filled  with  them,  "and  the  Lord  is  with  thee." 

It  is  true,  we  also  are  temples  wherein  the  Lord  dwelleth ;  and, 
if  we  be  in  the  state  of  grace,  it  can  be  said  of  us :  the  Lord  is 
with  us.  But  He  was  with  Mary  in  a  quite  different  manner.  It 
was  in  her  He  was  pleased  to  assume  human  flesh,  to  be  made  man, 
and  to  remain  for  the  space  of  nine  months.  He  is  in  the  heart  of 
Mary ;  He  fills  her  entire  understanding,  possesses  all  her  will,  is 
the  principle  of  all  her  thoughts,  of  all  her  actions,  of  all  the  senti- 
ments of  her  heart  and  soul ;  and  He  has  never  permitted  that  the 
slightest  stain  should  sully  its  purity  and  beauty.  Yes,  Mary, 
"the  Lord  is  with  thee."  The  messenger  of  God  adds:  "Blessed 
art  thou  among  women."  Of  all  the  women  that  appeared  on 
earth  since  the  beginning  of  the  world, — of  all  the  women  who 
shall  dwell  on  earth  till  the  end  of  time,  Mary  is  the  most  worthy, 
the  most  holy,  the  most  exalted  in  grace  and  glory  before  God. 
She  alone,  among  all  the  children  of  Adam,  was  conceived  without 
sin.  Never  has  the  slightest  imperfection  been  found  in  her  beauti- 
ful soul,  this  living  temple  of  God,  wherein  even  His  eye  could  not 
discover  the  least  stain.  The  heart  of  Mary  was  full  of  faith,  of 
hope,  of  charity,  of  humility,  of  meekness,  of  patience,  of  purity, 
in  a  word  the  sanctuary  of  every  virtue ;  and  from  the  day  of  her 
entrance  into  the  world  till  the  hour  of  her  death,  Mary  ceased  not 
one  single  instant  to  advance  from  virtue  to  virtue,  and  to  grow  in 
sanctity  and  perfection.  In  fine,  most  holy  Virgin,  not  only  art 
thou  of  all  the  daughters  of  Sion  the  most  excellent,  the  most 
chaste,  the  most  faithful,  the  most  holy;  but  thou  art  also  the 
Mother  of  the  world's  Redeemer, — the  Mother  of  God.  With  good 
reason  then  did  the  angel  say  to  thee:  "Blessed  art  thou  among 
women !" 

St.  Elizabeth  also  said  to  Mary:  "Blessed  art  thou  among 
women  ;"  and  immediately  added  ;  "and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy 
womb."  For  the  Holy  Ghost  had  revealed  to  the  venerable  spouse 

*  Proverbs,  xxxi :  29. 


THE    HAIL    MARY.  181 

of  Zachary,  that  the  ''heavens  had  dropped  down  the  divine  dew, 
and  the  clouds  had  rained  down  the  Just  One,  and  that  the  Desired 
of  nations"  was  before  her,  in  the  virginal  womb  of  Mary.  Jesus, 
the  Saviour  of  the  world ;  Jesus,  the  angel  of  peace  and  the  true 
Solomon  ;  Jesus  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  0  Mary  :  beyond  doubt, 
thou  art  all-powerful  with  Him,  and  He  hastens  to  hear  the  prayers 
which  thou  present  to  Him  in  heaven.  Therefore  it  is  that  the 
Church  of  Thy  divine  Son  requires  that  we  should  say  every  day, 
and  with  boundless  confidence:  "  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray 
for  us  sinners,  now,  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death. 

Holy  Mary,  our  Lady,  our  Queen,  most  beloved  daughter  of  Sion, 
who  wast  overshadowed  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  hast  conceived  in 
thy  womb  the  Son  of  the  Eternal,  who  hast  given  Him  the  flesh 
which  He  was  to  sacrifice  and  the  blood  He  was  to  shed  for  our  sal- 
vation ;  Mother  of  God,  employ  in  our  behalf,  the  merciful  power 
wherewith  the  Lord  has  invested  thee ;  pray  for  us,  poor  sinners, 
thou  who  lovest  so  much  the  title  of  refuge  and  help  of  sinners  ;  thou 
who  art  the  star  that  must  lead  us  to  the  gates  of  eternal  happiness. 
Consider  our  misery,  and  thy  maternal  heart  will  be  moved;  pray 
for  us  to  thy  divine  Son,  thy  prayer  will  be  granted,  and  our  sal- 
vation will  be  the  fruit  of  thy  humble,  but  all-powerful  intercession. 
Pray  for  us  now,  that  is  to  say,  always,  every  instant  of  our  lives, 
for  we  every  instant  need  thy  assistance,  0  Mother  of  God !  My 
Brethren,  we  have  constantly  new  sins  to  lament,  new  weaknesses 
to  fear,  new  dangers  to  avoid,  new  duties  to  fulfill,  and  consequently, 
new  graces  to  obtain  through  the  intercession  of  that  heavenly 
Mother  of  mercy.  May  Mary  then  pray  for  us,  poor  sinners,  now, 
always,  and  above  all,  "at  the  hour  of  our  death,"  that  we  be  not 
troubled  by  the  fear  of  death  and  by  the  temptations  of  the  devil,  who, 
at  that  decisive  moment  redoubles  his  efforts,  employs  all  his  cunning, 
and  makes  use  of  all  his  malice  to  effect  our  perdition.  May  Mary 
then  pray  for  us,  that  we  may  support  all  our  afflictions  and  suffer- 
ings, with  meritorious  and  Christian  patience,  that  we  may  worthily 
receive  the  last  sacraments,  the  fountains  of  grace,  of  forgiveness, 
and  the  pledges  of  eternal  salvation  ;  that  we  may  preserve  the 
spirit  of  penance  and  contrition,  of  confidence  in  God,  and  resig- 
nation to  the  will  of  Heaven ;  that,  in  fine,  persevering  in  grace, 
and  confirmed  in  divine  love,  we  may  deserve  to  be  received  into 


182  SHORT    SERMONS. 

the  bosom  of  Abraham  forever.  Mary  is  most  pleasing  to  the 
heart  of  God  the  Father,  of  God  the  Son,  and  of  God  the  Holy 
Ghost !  Mary  is  most  powerful !  She  is  the  Mother  of  God.  She 
desires  our  happiness, — she  wishes  to  conduct  us  to  God.  Invoke 
then  this  holy  Virgin;  often  address  to  her  that  beautiful  angelic 
salutation  which  I  have  explained ;  recite  it  in  your  toils  and  afflic- 
tions, and  you  will  be  consoled ;  in  your  temptations,  and  you  will 
be  strengthened;  say  it  Christians,  every  day,  especially  in  the 
morning  and  evening;  but  you,  above  all,  young  people,  who  are 
so  often  and  so  violently  tried  by  temptation,  pray  to  Mary,  and 
Mary  will  pray  for  you,  and  the  assistance  of  God  will  be  given 
you ;  you  will  then  do  what  God  commands,  and  the  day  will  come 
when  you  will  be  invited  to  glorify  Him  in  heaven,  in  the  society 
of  angels,  in  company  with  the  saints  and  with  Mary,  the  Mother 
of  Jesus,  our  Saviour,  forever. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXXVI. 

DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


"Henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed." — ST.  LUKE,  i :  48. 

THIS  prophecy  of  the  blessed  Virgin  has  been  accomplished. 
The  Church  and  all  her  true  children,  for  the  last  eighteen  hundred 
years,  have  never  ceased  to  love,  honor,  venerate  and  invoke  Mary  ; 
and  every  day  she  is  called  blessed,  and  truly  blessed  among 
women.  I  thank  God,  my  Brethren,  that  I  have  the  happiness  also 
to  see  devotion  to  Mary  established  among  you  ;  that  all  of  you 
pray  to  her  with  piety,  fervor  and  confidence.  After  the  adorable 
name  of.  Jesus,  that  which  mothers  should  be  most  eager  to  teach 
their  children,  is  the  sacred  name  of  Mary.  You  have  good  reason, 
my  Brethren,  to  honor  her  whom  God  has  elevated  to  the  super- 
eminent  dignity  of  Mother  of  the  Saviour,  to  invoke  her  who  is  the 
Queen  of  saints,  and  whom  the  Lord  has  invested  with  unspeakable 


DEVOTION     TO     THE     BLESSED     V I II G I N .  183 

power.  But,  says  St.  Paul,  be  your  worship  and  homage  pure  and 
rational ;  they  must  be  so  to  please  Mary  and  obtain  for  you  the 
graces  and  blessings  of  God.  Hear  me  then,  with  attention,  that 
you  may  learn  what  the  worship  is,  which  you  ought  to  pay  to  the 
most  holy  Mother  of  God. 

In  heaven,  the  throne  of  Mary  is  exalted  far  above  that  of  the 
angels  and  saints,  but  below  the  throne  of  the  Eternal,  for  she  is 
not  God  :  great  honor  and  veneration  are  therefore  due  to  the  Queen 
of  heaven;  but  we  must  be  very  careful  not  to  render  to  her  the 
worship  which  belongs  only  to  God, — the  worship  which  is  due  to 
the  Supreme  Being  alone, — the  worship  of  divine  adoration.  No 
doubt,  the  blessed  Virgin  should  be  honored  and  revered  more  than 
all  the  angels  and  saints,  since  she  is  their  Queen ;  but  we  must  not 
forget  what  faith  teaches  us ;  that  there  is,  and  there  can  be  but  one 
divine  Nature,  and  that  belongs  to  God  alone.  We  acknowledge 
and  adore  this  divine  Nature,  one  and  indivisible,  in  the  three  divine 
persons  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity ;  but  we  acknowledge  and  adore 
it  only  in  these  three  adorable  persons,  who  constitute  but  one  God. 
We  have  not  forgotten  the  law  of  the  Lord,  for  we  know  that  His 
first  precept  is  this  :  "One  God  alone  shalt  thou  adore,  and  Him 
alone  shalt  thou  love  with  thy  whole  heart;"  so  we  carefully  avoid 
transferring  to  Mary  the  adoration  which  belongs  to  God,  for  Mary 
herself  would  exclaim  against  us :  this  most  holy  Virgin,  who 
delighted  so  much  to  declare  that  she  was  but  the  humble  hand- 
maid of  the  Lord,  would  reject  with  horror  such  homage.  "Behold 
the  handmaid  of  the  Lord,"  she  says  to  the  angel,  "be  it  done  to 
me  according  to  thy  word  :  "  and  again,  to  her  cousin  St.  Elizabeth  : 
"  the  Lord  hath  regarded  the  humility  of  his  handmaid." 

Mary  is  not  God  ;  she  can  not,  therefore,  originate  grace.  God 
alone  is  the  author  of  grace  ;  He  alone  gives  and  grants  it  to  man. 
So  we  do  not  approach  Mary  to  ask  this  precious  gift  of  grace  as  if 
she  created  it,  or  by  her  own  power  conferred  it ;  no,  we  only  pray  to 
Mary  to  ask  it  for  us.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  when  we  address 
God  in  prayer,  we  say  :  "Heavenly  Father,  true  God,  divine  Son, 
Redeemer  of  the  world,  Holy  Ghost,  who  art  God,  have  mercy  upon 
us,  pity  us,"  because  God  alone  can  bestow  grace.  But  as  soon  as 
we  turn  to  Mary,  our  prayer  changes,  and  we  say  with  the  Church  : 
"Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  ;  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of 


184  SHORT    SERMONS. 

God,  pray  for  us  now,  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death."     We  pray 
thus,  and  we  do  so  with  all  confidence,  because,  although  Mary  is 
not  the  author  of  grace,  God  will  never  refuse  to  the  prayer  of  His 
heavenly  daughter,   of  His  well-beloved  Mother,  of  His   cherished 
Spouse,  this  grace  so  precious  in  itself  and  so  necessary  for  us. 
We  do  not  in  the  worship  we  render  to  Mary,  transfer  to  her 
the  adoration  which  belongs  only  to  God  ;  but  we  heartily  delight 
to  honor  Mary,  to  celebrate  her  glory,  her  power  and  her  happiness. 
We  imitate  the  messenger  of  heaven,  and  like  the  angel  we  say  to 
Mary:   "Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee,  blessed 
art  thou  among  women."     We  imitate  the  holy  spouse  of  Zachary, 
the  mother  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  with  her  we  say  :  "Blessed 
art  thou  among  women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb." 
With  the  angel  and  with  Elizabeth,  we  honor  and  glorify  God  him- 
self in  the  person  of  Mary ;  we  honor  and  glorify  God  the  Father, 
before  whom  Mary  had  found  favor;  God  the   Son,  whom  this 
holy  Virgin  had  given  to  the  world  ;  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose 
power  had  wrought  in  her  such  great  miracles.     We  honor  and 
glorify  Mary,  and  we  fulfill  the  prophetic  words  which  God  put  into 
her  mouth,  when  she  said  :   "Behold,  all  generations  shall  call  me 
blessed,  for  He  that  is  mighty  hath  done  great  things  to  me :  and 
holy  is  His  name."     We  honor  and  invoke  Mary,  because  such  is 
the  will  of  God,  since  He  has  rendered  her  worthy  of  all  honor,  and 
has  elevated  her  to  a   supereminent  dignity,  the  source  to  her  of 
wonderful  power.     We  honor  and  invoke  Mary,  because  we  wish  to 
walk  in  the  foot  steps  of  the  saints,  and   because  the  saints  never 
ceased  and  shall  never  cease  to  honor  and  glorify  the  holy  Mother 
of  God. 

Yes,  my  Brethren,  let  us  pray  to  Mary  with  an  ardent  devotion 
and  with  great  confidence.  But  do  not  forget  that  Mary  wishes, 
above  all  things,  that  you  should  honor  and  invoke  Jesus  and  His 
divine  Father,  from  whom  she  received  every  thing.  Do  not  forget 
that  she  wishes  to  bring  you  to  Jesus,  and  that  it  is  from  the 
goodness  and  mercy  of  Jesus  that  you  must  expect  your  salvation. 
Jesus,  alone,  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  ;  and  "there  is  no 
other  name  under  heaven  given  to  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved,"* 

*  Acts,  iv  :  12. 


DEVOTION     TO    THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN.  185 

than  the  name  of  Jesus.  Mary  is  powerful,  and  her  prayer  has  a 
wonderful  efficacy ;  but  will  she  pray  for  you,  if  you  forget  Jesus, 
"in  whom  are  the  words  of  eternal  life?"  No,  she  will  not  hear 
your  desires  and  supplications, — she  will  not  present  them  to  her 
divine  Son,  if  you  do  not  place  all  your  confidence  in  Him,  if  you 
forget  Him.  Implore  then  Mary  to  intercede  for  you,  but  so  that  you 
expect  from  Jesus,  through  the  intercession  of  Mary,  the  graces 
and  the  favors  which  you  solicit;  and  Mary  will  love  you,  will  pro- 
tect you,  and  will  intercede  in  your  behalf  with  her  divine  Son, 
who  died  for  you,  who  is  your  only  mediator  with  the  heavenly 
Father.  This  is  the  way  in  which  you  must  pray  to  Mary,  to  honor 
her  and  to  honor  God. 

We  praise  and  extol  Mary ;  she  is  most  worthy  of  our  praise, 
and  God  desires  that  we  should  venerate  His  blessed  Mother,  whom 
He  has  made  the  master-piece  of  creation.     "Most  happy  Virgin,1' 
says  St.  Ambrose,  "Mary,  ever  Virgin,  is  the  greatest  wonder  of 
God.    Who  has  ever  been  more  holy  than  Mary  ?    She  surpasses  in 
sanctity  the  prophets,  the  apostles  and  the  martyrs,  the  angels,  the 
thrones,  the  principalities,  the  seraphim  and  the  cherubim ;  among 
all  creatures,  visible  and  invisible,  there  is  not  one  equal  to  Mary  in 
grandeur  and  sanctity ;  not  one  who  like  her  was,  at  the  same  time, 
the  servant  and  the  Mother  of  God,  a  Mother  and  a  Virgin."     How 
pleasing,  therefore,  must  it  be  to  God  to  honor  and  glorify  Mary ! 
But  Mary  will  not  consider  herself  glorified  by  your  praise,  your 
canticles  and  your  prayers,  if  you  do  not,  at  the  same  time,  glorify 
God  by  your  actions  ;  if  you  do  not  imitate  her  virtues.     How 
indeed  could  such  unworthy  homage  be  pleasing  to  her,  who  had  so 
much  at  heart  the  glory  of  God,  and  so  often  on  her  lips  the  beauti- 
ful words  :  "  0  my  soul !  glorify  the  Lord."     Alas  !  my  Brethren, 
we  praise  her  and  invoke  her  to  little  effect,  while  we  care  so  little 
to  imitate  her  example  !     What  indeed  can  they  expect  from  their 
prayers,  and  what  honor  do  they  render  to  Mary  and  to  God,  who, 
this  moment  recite  the  five  decades  of  their  Rosary,  and  immediately 
after  utter  a  decade  of  blasphemies  and  curses  ?    What  honor  do  they 
render  to  God  and  to  Mary,  who,  in  the  Litany,  give  to  the  Mother 
of  God  the  most  glorious  titles,  and  the  next  instant  discharge  a 
litany  of  oaths  and  calumnies  against  their  neighbor  ?     What  merit 
can  you  claim,  and  wlmt  can  be  the  efficacy  of  your  prayers,  you 
16 


186  SHORT    SEKMONS. 

fathers  and  mothers,  who,  while  you  praise  the  blessed  Virgin  and 
extol  her  love  for  her  divine  Son,  her  meek  humility,  her  gentleness 
and  her  inviolable  fidelity  to  virtue,  yet  take  no  care  of  your  children, 
do  not  trouble  yourselves  about  their  education,  have  no  peace  or 
concord  among  yourselves,  no  love,  no  fidelity  for  one  another? 
What  must  we  think  of  or  expect  from  your  devotion  to  Mary,  ye 
young  men  and  young  women,  who,  while  you  glorify  the  angelic 
purity  and  the  heavenly  beauty  of  her  soul,  permit  your  own  minds 
and  hearts,  your  mouth  and  your  ears  to  be  filled  with  thoughts, 
desires,  words  and  actions  which  purity  condemns  ?  No,  it  is  not 
thus  that  Mary  wishes  to  be  honored  !  If  you  desire  that  your 
prayers  should  be  agreeable  to  her,  and  that  she  should  love  and 
protect  you,  resolve  at  once  to  imitate  her  example  and  to  walk  in 
her  footsteps.  Imitate  her  meekness,  her  docility,  her  humility,  her 
resignation  to  the  divine  will  under  affliction,  her  love  of  God,  and 
charity  for  her  neighbor.  Endeavor  like  her  to  be  modest,  strive  like 
her  to  be  pure,  then  you  will  honor  her  with  your  tongue  and  with 
your  heart ;  God  will  be  glorified  by  the  praise,  respect  and  vener- 
ation which  you  pay  to  his  holy  Mother ;  Mary  will  be  united  to 
you ;  she  will  receive  your  prayers, — she  will  present  them  to  God, 
and  these  prayers  will  return  from  heaven  to  you,  but  loaded  with 
graces  and  blessings  to  fortify  you  in  the  love  and  practice  of  virtue, 
to  console  you  in  your  sorrows  and  sufferings,  to  render  you  strong 
and  courageous  in  the  contest  you  have  to  wage  against  the  enemies 
of  your  salvation,  and  help  you  to  advance  even  to  the  mountain  of 
the  Lord.  This  is  the  way  in  which  you  must  act,  if  you  would 
have  Mary  become  for  you  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  the  gate  of 
heaven. — AMEN. 


IMITATION    OF    THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN.  187 


SERMON  XXXVII. 

IMITATION  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


"Not  every  one  that  saith  to  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  :  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father,  who  is  in  heaven,  he  shall 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." — ST.  MATTHEW,  vii  :  21. 

MY  Brethren,  we  all  desire  to  honor  the  blessed  Virgin,  and  merit 
her  powerful  intercession  with  God.  Mary  is,  indeed,  worthy  of  all 
glory  and  honor,  and  her  prayers  will  obtain  for  us  innumerable  and 
most  salutary  graces,  for  her  divine  Son  can  refuse  her  nothing. 
The  blessed  Virgin  loves  us,  and  the  most  ardent  desire  of  her 
heart  is  to  make  us  happy,  to  render  us  partakers  of  the  happiness 
which  she  now  possesses  in  the  bosom  of  Abraham.  Nevertheless, 
I  imagine  that  I  hear  her  addressing  us,  in  the  words  of  her  divine 
Son :  Not  every  one  that  saith,  Mary,  Mary,  shall  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  :  but  he  that,  like  me,  doeth  the  will  of  my 
Father,  who  is  in  heaven,  he  shall  enter  into  the  kingdon  of  heaven. 
Yes,  my  Brethren,  we  render  ourselves  worthy  of  the  protection  of 
Mary,  and  we  will  share  in  her  glory  and  happiness,  if  we  imitate 
this  perfect  model  of  every  virtue  ;  if,  like  her,  we  do  what  God 
commands,  if  we  suffer  as  He  wishes  us  to  suffer,  if  we  love  what 
He  loves,  if,  in  a  word,  like  Mary,  we  truly  love  God. 

If  you  love  God,  you  will  do  what  he  commands.  Our  divine 
Lord  has  said :  he  who  loves  me,  keeps  my  commandments  and 
hears  my  words  ;  and  he  who  loves  me  not,  will  not  reduce  my 
words  to  practice.  Do  you  wish,  therefore,  to  know  if  the  love  of 
God  reign  in  your  hearts  ?  Show  yourselves  constantly  obedient  to 
the  commands  of  the  Lord,  be  ever  determined  to  do  his  holy  will 
in  all  things,  advance  steadfastly  in  the  way  of  His  commandments, 
and  let  nothing  in  heaven,  on  earth,  or  in  hell,  be  able  to  separate 
you  from  your  God. 

It  was  thus  that  Mary  loved  the  Lord,  and  that  she  was  ever 


188  SHORT    SERMONS. 

faithful  to  His  adorable  will,  obedient  to  His  holy  law,  under  all 
circumstances,  and  during  her  whole  life.  Sin  never  entered  into 
her  pure  soul.  The  conception  of  Mary  was  immaculate,  and  all 
the  gifts  of  grace  were  given  in  abundance  to  the  humble  Virgin 
whom  God  destined  to  be  the  Mother  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
This  white  robe  of  innocence,  with  which  heaven  had  invested  her, 
Mary  ever  preserved  pure  and  spotless.  During  the  whole  course 
of  her  life,  as  the  holy  fathers  testify,  this  heavenly  Virgin  never 
committed  the  slightest  sin  :  she  constantly  remained  all  fair  and 
beautiful,  and  the  celestial  beauty  of  her  soul  was  never  soiled. 
Her  whole  happiness  was  to  do,  in  all  things,  what  God  com- 
manded. As  a  perfect  Israelite,  she  was  subject  to  all  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  Mosaic  law.  She  became  the  Mother  of  God,  but  did 
not  thereby  cease  to  be  a  Virgin ;  this  sublime  prerogative  dispensed 
her  from  the  precept  of  purification ;  nevertheless,  she  submitted  to 
it  to  avoid  even  the  shadow  of  disobedience  in  what  the  Lord  pre- 
scribed. She  recognized  God's  will  in  that  of  temporal  superiors  ; 
and  to  obey  it,  at  the  very  time  when  she  was  about  to  give  birth  to 
Jesus,  she  undertook  a  long  and  painful  journey  to  Bethlehem,  there 
to  have  her  name  enrolled  as  the  Roman  emperor  had  commanded. 
Yes,  Mary  loved  the  law  of  God  ;  she  meditated  upon  it  unceasingly, 
she  carried  it  written  in  her  heart,  upon  her  forehead,  and  in  her 
hands ;  she  trembled  at  the  mere  idea  of  violating  it,  at  the  bare 
thought  of  the  slightest  fault.  "The  law  of  God  was  the  torch  that 
enlightened  her  steps,  the  light  that  guided  her  in  all  her  ways." 
Is  it  thus,  my  Brethren,  that  we  act  ?  Is  it  thus,  that  we  fulfill 
what  God  wishes  and  ordains  ?  Do  we  thus  love  and  cherish  the 
holy  law  of  the  Lord  ?  From  our  earliest  years,  we  have  learned  to 
repeat:  "0  my  God  !  I  love  thee  with  my  whole  heart  and  soul 
and  above  all  things ;"  but,  alas  !  these  beautiful  words  are  on  our 
lips,  while  the  sentiments  they  express  are  far  from  our  hearts,  for 
we  do  not  perform  what  God  commands.  Is  our  life,  indeed,  any- 
thing else  but  a  continual  series  of  transgressions  and  violations  of 
the  law  of  God  ?  No,  we  do  not  imitate  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
trampling  under  foot  as  we  do,  the  most  sacred  precepts  of  the 
Lord.  Go  through  the  Decalogue,  which  God  himself  has  written  ; 
call  to  mind  the  precepts  which  He  has  empowered  His  Church  to 
impose  upon  you,  and  see  how  many  things  there  are  that  God  for- 


IMITATION    Ot     THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN.  189 

bids,  and  which,  nevertheless,  you  commit ;  how  many  things 
which  He  prescribes,  and  yet  you  neglect.  How  many  are  the 
wicked  thoughts,  evil  words,  and  sinful  actions  which  stain  your 
souls!  Does  the  love  of  God,  then,  reside  in  you?  Confess  it,  my 
dear  Brethren,  you  do  not  imitate  the  blessed  Virgin  ;  you  do  not 
love  God  as  she  loved  Him.  He  who  loves  God  desires  what  God 
desires,  and  submits  himself  to  the  will  of  his  heavenly  Father.  If 
God  ordains  him  to  walk  along  the  path  of  sorrows,  he  bows  his 
head  and  walks  along  it.  He  may  indeed  say  with  his  divine 
Master:  "My  father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  chalice  pass  away 
from  me;"  but  he  will  immediately  add;  "yet  not  my  will  but 
thine  be  done,"  and  he  will  accept  the  chalice,  no  matter  how  bitter 
it  be. 

It  was  thus  that  the  most  perfect  agreement  never  ceased  to  reign 
between  the  will  of  Mary  and  the  will  of  God.  She  was  ever 
submissive  and  resigned  to  every  thing  that  heaven  required  of  her, 
and,  with  calmness  and  patience,  she  passed  through  the  most  try- 
ing scenes  that  ever  affected  the  heart  of  a  spouse  and  a  Mother. 
Everywhere,  and  always,  she  recognized  the  hand  of  God,  and 
adored  it.  Mary  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  on  which  her  divine 
Son  expired  ;  it  was  there  that  her  heart  was  pierced  by  the  sword 
of  sorrow  which  the  holy  old  man  Simeon  had  foretold.  Alas ! 
how  terribly  her  soul  must  have  suffered  !  and  yet  not  a  murmur, 
not  a  complaint  was  found  on  her  lips :  for  she  knew  that  the  hand 
which  held  the  sword  was  the  hand  of  God.  And  from  the  bottom 
of  her  heart,  she  said  with  her  divine  Son:  "My  Father,  let  thy 
will  and  not  mine  be  done."  No,  never  did  any  one  suffer  as  Mary 
suffered,  no  grief  was  like  unto  her  grief,  no  sorrows  were  like  unto 
hers,  and  yet  never  was  mere  creature  so  submissive  and  resigned ; 
well  does  she  deserve  to  be  called  the  "Mother  of  Sorrows,"  the 
"  Queen  of  Martyrs."  May  we,  my  dear  Brethren,  imitate  her 
example ! 

We  also  have  much  to  suffer  in  this  world,  in  this  sad  valley  of 
tears.  Often  does  the  Lord  chastise  us,  because  we  deserve  punish- 
ment and  He  loves  us.  God  sends  us  bitter  trials,  because  He 
wishes  that  we  should  walk  in  the  road  of  affliction,  to  arrive  at 
eternal  glory,  and  because  trials  work  patience,  and  patience,  the 
merit  which  opens  heaven.  If  we  love  God,  let  us  be  careful  not  to 


1  90  *  H  O  K  T     S  K  K  >I  0  N  S  . 

murmur  and  complain.  If  we  love  God,  we  will  find  great  conso- 
lation in  the  holy  and  salutary  belief,  that,  if  we  suffer,  it  is  because 
such  is  the  will  of  God,  who  loves  us  with  a  most  tender  love ;  and 
our  hearts  will  at  once  say :  0  my  God,  may  your  holy  will  be 
done  !  I  accept  and  I  bless  these  strokes  of  thy  justice,  0  my 
God  !  I  richly  merit  them,  and  I  am  too  happy  thus  to  have  it  in 
my  power  to  expiate  my  sins,  which  rendered  me  so  guilty  in  thy 
sight.  My  Brethren,  if  we  murmur  when  God  afflicts  us,  if  we 
revolt  against  the  orders  of  Providence,  we  do  not  imitate  the  ever 
blessed  Virgin  Mary,  we  do  not  love  God. 

In  fine,  the  third  mark  of  the  true  love  of  God,  is  to  love  what 
God  loves,  and  to  abhor  what  he  detests.  There  are  persons  in  the 
world  who  occupy  in  our  regard  the  place  of  God ;  these  are  our 
parents  and  superiors ;  God  loves  them,  we  also  must  love  them. 
The  poor  are  the  members  and  suffering  brethren  of  Jesus  Christ: 
He  loves  them,  we  also  must  love  them.  We  have  enemies,  that 
injure  and  persecute  us  :  God  loves  them,  as  instruments  which  He 
uses  to  punish  and  chastise  us  for  our  sins  ;  we  also  must  love  them. 
All  men  are  brethren,  all  are  children  of  one  heavenly  Father, 
created  to  His  image :  He  loves  them  all,  we  must  also  love  all. 
But  God  detests  sin,  abhors  those  who  violate  His  holy  law,  who 
persecute  His  disciples,  who  sow  in  his  vineyard  perverse  doctrines, 
who,  by  their  impious  designs  and  bad  example,  bring  about  the 
corruption  of  morals,  and  labor  for  the  destruction  of  immortal 
souls.  Such  as  these  we  ought  to  shun ;  we  must  avoid  them  as 
workers  of  iniquity,  yet  without  ceasing  to  love  them  as  brothers. 
This  was  the  way  that  Mary  always  acted  :  she  never  voluntarily 
entered  the  company  of  the  wicked ;  and,  like  the  royal  prophet, 
she  could  well  say  to  the  Lord :  "  I  have  hated  the  unjust,  and  have 
loved  Thy  law  :  I  have  hated  those  that  work  iniquity  in  Thy  sight ; 
the  proud  and  ambitious  and  the  corrupt  in  heart  have  not  sat  at 
my  table,  and  I  held  in  abomination  those  who  hated  Thee."  Mary 
fled  from  the  company  of  the  wicked,  but  she  lamented  their  per- 
versity, for  the  love  of  her  neighbor  was  deeply  rooted  in  her  heart, 
and  she  never  ceased  to  love  all  mankind  as  her  brethren.  Oh  !  how 
her  heart  exulted  with  exceeding  joy  when  she  found  that  she  was 
to  give  birth  to  the  Saviour,  who  was  to  be  for  us  the  way  which 
leads  to  tho  happiness  of  hen  von.  How  happy  wa«  this  holy  Virgin, 


IMITATION    OF    THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN.  191 

every  time  that  her  divine  Son,  passing  through  this  world  doing 
good,  blotted  out  the  sins  of  men,  and  spread  everywhere  along 
His  path  graces,  blessings,  health  and  life  !  Mary  loved  us,  and  it 
was  because  she  loved  us  so  much,  that  she  desired  to  suffer  so 
much  for  us ;  that  she  wished  to  assist  at  the  agony  of  her  divine 
Son,  and  to  be  sprinkled  with  the  adorable  blood  that  was  to  effect 
our  redemption.  Yes,  God  loved  us  so  much  that  He  gave  His 
Son  to  redeem  us,  says  the  Apostle ;  and  I  fearlessly  add,  with  a 
holy  father :  Mary  loved  us  so  much,  that  had  the  Jews  failed  to  do 
so,  she  herself  would  have  sacrificed  her  divine  Son,  whose  death 
was  to  be  our  life. 

Is  it  thus  that  we  love  those  whom  God  loves,  and  avoid  those 
whom  He  detests  ?  Do  we  love  the  poor?  Do  their  miseries  touch 
our  hearts,  and  do  we  relieve  them  according  to  our  means  ?  Do 
we  love  our  parents  and  superiors,  and  show  ourselves  obedient  to 
them  ?  Do  we  love  our  enemies  ?  Do  we  forgive  them  ?  Is  there 
no  hatred,  no  malice  in  our  hearts?  Do  we  pray  for  those  who 
hate  and  persecute  us  ? 

Do  we  avoid  the  society  of  the  wicked  ?  Alas  !  too  often  do  you 
seek  the  company  of  the  vicious,  and  select  as  your  friends  those 
who  delight  in  offending  the  Lord,  who  despise  His  holy  religion, 
corrupt  the  hearts  of  the  young  and  innocent,  and  ruin  immortal 
souls.  You  love  then  what  God  detests,  and  you  do  not  imitate 
the  blessed  Virgin.  Nevertheless,  my  Brethren,  we  must  imitate 
her,  if  we  desire  to  be  partakers  of  her  happiness  ;  we  must  follow 
her  in  the  path  of  virtue  to  which  she  invites  us  ;  this  is  the  only 
condition  on  which  she  will  grant  us  the  support  of  her  powerful 
intercession.  She  loved  what  God  loved,  she  desired  what  God 
desired,  she  did  what  He  commanded :  let  us  do  the  same,  my  dear 
Brethren,  and,  when  we  shall  ask  ourselves  if  we  love  God,  our 
works  will  immediately  answer.  Yes,  you  love  your  God,  and  He 
loves  you  :  you  follow  the  footsteps  of  Mary,  and  she  will  be  with 
you  :  she  will  pray  for  you, — she  will  protect  you,  now  and  at  the 
hour  of  your  death.  At  this  awful  and  decisive  moment,  Mary 
will,  so  to  speak,  hover  around  your  death-bed  ;  she  will  strengthen 
you,  will  encourage  you,  will  receive  your  soul,  and  will  transport 
it  with  joy  into  the  mansions  of  everlasting  rest. — AMEN. 


PAKT  III. 

i 

SERMON  XXXVIII 

THE  LOVE  OF  GOD- 


"  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  thy  whole  heart,  and  with  thy  whole 
soul,  and  with  thy  whole  mind." — ST.  MATTHEW,  xxii :  37. 

MY  Brethren,  we  know  what  faith  is,  and  what  it  teaches  us ; 
what  hope  is,  and  the  blessings  it  promises  us  :  I  am  now  about  to 
tell  you  what  charity  is,  and  the  commandments  which  it  helps  us  to 
observe.  Charity  is  "the  end  and  the  perfection  of  the  law,"  says 
the  Holy  Ghost :  he  who  has  not  charity  is  nothing  in  the  sight  of 
God.  "It  is  charity  that  distinguishes  the  children  of  God  from 
the  children  of  the  devil,"  says  St.  Augustine.  St.  Francis  of  Sales 
adds:  "Virtue  consists  in  the  Love  of  God;  perfection  consists  in 
the  Love  of  God ;  in  a  word,  in  love,  every  thing  consists.  Sal- 
vation is  shown  to  faith,  prepared  for  hope,  but  given  only  to 
charity."  What  then  is  charity  ?  "  Charity  is  a  supernatural 
virtue,  by  which  we  love  God  above  all  things,  because  He  is  infi- 
nitely worthy  of  love,  and  our  neighbor  as  ourselves  for  the  Love  of 
God."  It  has  for  its  object  God  and  our  neighbor;  it  is  the  Love 
of  God  and  the  love  of  our  neighbor.  I  will  tell  you  to-day  why 
we  ought  to  love  God,  and  how  we  ought  to  love  Him. 

God  must  certainly  be  little  known,  since  He  is  so  little  loved ! 
In  truth,  can  we  know  the  Sovereign  Good,  the  only  true  good, — 
the  source  of  all  good, — and  not  love  Him  ?  "  Yes,"  says  St.  Ber- 
nard, "the  great  reason  for  loving  God,  is  God  himself."  If  we 
knew  the  Lord  our  God,  in  His  infinite  perfections,  we  would  say 
with  St.  Michael,  the  archangel :  "  Who  is  like  unto  God,"  and  who 
17  (193) 


194  SHORT    S  E  K  M  O  N  8  . 

deserves  to  be  loved  as  the  Lord  does  ?  God  is  the  Supreme  Being ; 
the  Being  by  excellence ;  He  possesses  in  an  infinite  degree  every 
possible  perfection ;  He  is  infinitely  above  all  that  created  intelli- 
gence can  conceive  of  good,  or  beautiful,  or  great,  or  holy.  You 
love  creatures  ;  but  it  is  from  God  that  they  have  received  every 
thing  in  them  that  makes  you  love  them,  and  they  all  say  to  you  : 
it  is  God  who  made  us  what  we  are.  You  love  creatures ;  but  what 
is  the  grandeur,  the  beauty,  the  power  of  created  beings,  but  the 
shadowy  reflex  of  the  grandeur,  the  beauty,  and  the  power  of  God? 
Beside,  my  Brethren,  in  creatures,  good  and  amiable  qualities  are 
oftentimes  accompanied  by  so  many  defects,  that  they  can  please  only 
when  viewed  at  a  distance :  but  in  God  all  is  perfection,  without 
admixture  of  defect,  and  every  thing  ought  to  impel  us  to  love  Him. 
God  is  the  union  of  all  perfections, — He  is  the  Sovereign  Good  ; 
we  ought  therefore  to  love  Him,  because  He  is  infinitely  amiable  in 
himself,  and  we  ought  also  to  love  Him,  because  His  goodness  is 
an  immense  treasure,  from  which  we  can  draw  an  abundance  of 
graces  and  blessings. 

It  was  God  who  called  you  out  of  nothing ;  His  hand  fashioned 
your  body,  and  His  breath  gave  birth  to  your  soul,  to  that  soul,  the 
master-piece  of  earthly  creatures,  which,  created  to  the  likeness  of 
God,  elevates  you  to  the  rank  of  rational  beings,  and  places  you 
above  all  things  visible.  It  is  God  who  has  given  you  life,  and 
who  preserves  it  for  you  :  His  infinite  goodness  constantly  watches 
over  you  and  protects  you.  He  wishes  that  all  creatures  should 
serve  your  use,  and  heaps  upon  you  the  sweetness  of  His  blessings 
and  His  favors.  All  that  we  are,  all  that  we  possess,  our  being,  our 
motion,  and  our  life,  we  have  received  from  God.  But  what  are  all 
these  things  in  comparison  to  what  God  has  condescended  still  more 
to  do  for  us  ?  To  redeem  us,  my  Brethren,  and  thereby  win  our 
love,  he  gave  himself  entirely  to  us,  became  man,  was  made  flesh, 
and  died  !  Is  not  your  heart  satisfied  with  this  proof  of  His  love  ? 
Most  assuredly  it  is.  Well !  the  heart  of  our  God  discovered  that 
this  was  not  sufficient  for  Him,  and  He  chose  the  most  cruel  death, 
— the  death  of  the  cross  !  My  God,  Thou  hast  loved  us  with  an 
excessive  love, — even  to  die  for  us  !  Can  it  be  possible  that  Thou 
wilt  add  still  more  to  what  Thou  hast  already  done  ?  0  unspeak- 
able love !  Our  loving  Redeemer,  not  content  with  immolating 


THE    LOVE    OF    GOD.  195 

himself  once  on  Calvary,  wishes  that  this  adorahle  sacrifice  should 
be  renewed  every  day,  and  a  thousand  times  a  day !  He  was  not 
content  to  live  and  die  for  us,  but  He  desired  to  remain  forever  with 
those  whom  He  loves,  and  even  to  the  very  end  of  time,  He  will  be 
present  in  the  sacrament  of  love, — in  the  holy  Eucharist.  My 
Brethren,  let  us  go  to  the  foot  of  the  cross  on  Calvary,  let  us  go  to 
the  foot  of  our  altars,  and  there  prostrating  ourselves  before  our 
divine  Lord,  say,  ought  we  not  to  love  our  God  ?  God  died  for  us, 
and,  that  He  might  dwell  among  us,  He  seems  almost  to  annihilate 
himself:  Oh !  if  we  love  Him  not,  we  are  the  most  ungrateful  of 
wretches  !  I  can  easily  understand  the  anathema  which  the  Apostle 
St.  Paul  pronounces  against  those  who  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus. 
And  may  I  not  also  say  with  him  :  Anathema  to  those  who  refuse 
to  God  a  love  which  He  purchased  at  so  dear  a  rate !  Anathema 
to  those  who  are  insensible  to  the  effusion  of  the  blood  of  a  God  ! 
Heaven  grant,  my  Brethren,  that  this  anathema  fall  not  on  you  ! 
Love  then  the  Lord,  consecrate  to  Him  the  affections  of  your  heart, 
and  let  your  love  be  such  as  He  desires. 

St.  Francis  of  Sales  points  out,  in  a  few  words,  the  marks  of 
true  love  of  God.  "This  love  must  prevail  over  every  thing  that 
we  love,  and  rule  over  all  our  passions.  What  is  it  that  God 
demands  of  us  ?  It  is  that  in  every  thing  we  love,  the  love  of 
God  should  be  the  most  'cordial,  reigning  over  all  our  heart ;  the 
most  affectionate,  occupying  our  whole  soul ;  the  most  general, 
engaging  all  our  powers  ;  the  most  elevated,  filling  our  whole  mind  ; 
the  most  steadfast,  exercising  all  our  strength  and  all  our  energies." 
"  Thou  shalt  love  then  the  Lord,  thy  God,  with  thy  whole  heart,  with 
thy  whole  soul,  with  thy  whole  mind  and  with  all  thy  strength." 
To  love  God  then,  the  rule  we  must  follow  is,  to  love  Him  above 
all  things.  God  must  occupy  the  first  place  in  your  heart  and  in 
your  love,  above  all  things,  above  the  angels  in  heaven  and  the 
saints  in  paradise ;  above  your  parents,  your  children,  your  friends, 
your  benefactors  ;  above  all  the  goods  and  pleasures  of  this  world  ; 
above  your  happiness,  your  health,  and  even  your  life.  Thus  we 
must  never  suffer  any  affection  in  our  heart  which  we  can  not  offer 
to  God,  nor  should  we  ever  love  any  thing  but  in  relation  to  Him. 
He  is  our  sovereign  Good,  our  last  end :  and  we  would  be  giving 
way  to  sad  disorder,  did  we  love  any  thing  beside  God,  more  than 


196  SHORT    SERMONS. 

God,  or  as  much  as  God.  To  love  God  above  all  things,  is  a  sacred 
duty  :  if  such  is  not  our  charity,  if  such  is  not  our  love,  there  is 
for  us  no  salvation,  "we  are  not  worthy  of  God." 

If  you  truly  love  God,  united  with  that  divine  love,  there  will  be 
found  in  your  hearts  the  sincere  and  firm  resolution  of  sacrificing  all 
your  goods,  all  your  fortune,  of  suffering  every  pain  and  every 
persecution,  of  giving  up  your  body  to  torments,  of  immolating 
your  life,  of  crushing  every  affection  and  every  love,  rather  than  do 
any  thing  displeasing  to  God.  He  who  acts  thus  loves  God  as  He 
ought  to  be  loved,  above  all  things. 

If  you  truly  love  the  Lord,  you  ought  to  love  to  speak  of  Him, 
to  hear  His  word  ;  you  must  love  to  think  of  Him,  and  raise  your 
hearts  to  Him  as  often  as  possible;  for  "where  your  treasure  is, 
there  also  will  be  your  heart," — there  will  be  your  thoughts.  If 
you  truly  love  God,  you  will  study  to  render  yourself  every  day 
more  pleasing  to  Him  by  a  pious,  wise  and  prudent  life,  by  faith- 
fully observing  His  commandments,  by  perseverance  and  exactness 
in  the  performance  of  all  the  duties  of  your  state.  "Let  him  who 
is  just  become  still  more  just ;  be  ye  perfect  as  my  heavenly  Father 
is  perfect,"  says  our  divine  Saviour. 

If  you  love  God,  you  will  put  your  trust  in  Him,  you  will  sub- 
mit without  a  murmur  to  the  arrangements  of  His  divine  provi- 
dence, to  the  ways  of  His  adorable  wisdom :  like  St.  Francis  of 
Sales,  you  will  cast  your  care  on  the  goodness  of  God,  and  lean  upon 
Him,  with  as  much  tranquillity  as  an  infant  upon  the  bosom  of  its 
mother ;  and  you  will  say  :  God  has  promised  to  assist  us  in  our 
tribulations,  what  therefore  do  we  fear  ?  Nothing  happens  except 
with  God's  permission,  and  we  know  that  He  loves  us;  let  us 
therefore  have  courage  and  patience. 

Is  it  thus,  my  Brethren,  that  we  love  the  Lord  our  God  ?  Per- 
haps human  respect  has  prevailed  over  the  Love  of  God  in  our 
timid  and  pusillanimous  hearts ;  perhaps  slothfulnesss,  attachment 
to  the  things  of  this  life,  or  self-love  have  urged  us  to  transgress  the 
holy  law  of  God,  to  deny  to  the  Lord  the  love  which  is  due  Him. 
If  such  be  the  case,  let  us  not  continue  in  this  unhappy  state,  "  for 
he  who  loveth  not  abideth  in  death."  Let  us  quit  this  death,  let  us 
shake  off  this  slothfulness,  let  us  drive  away  this  cold  indifference, 
let  us  lament  our  faults,  let  us  do  penance,  and  love.  Yes  !  let  us 


LOVE    OF    OUR    NEIGHBOR.  197 

love  a  God  so  great,  so  good,  and  so  amiable,  who  has  done  so  much 
for  us,  and  who  will  do  still  more ;  and  let  us  pray  that  the  flames 
of  divine  love  may  never  more  be  extinguished  in  our  hearts,  but 
that  they  may  burn  there  and  consume  in  us  every  worldly  attach- 
ment and  every  inordinate  affection ;  that  thus  our  lives  may  flow 
along  in  the  practice  of  every  virtue,  and  merit  for  us  the  happiness 
of  being  admitted  to  love  God  for  ever  in  heaven. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XXXIX. 

LOVE   OF  OUR  NEIGHBOR. 


"  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." — ST.  MATTHEW,  xxii :   39. 

WE  must  love  God,  the  Supreme  Being,  the  only  Being  truly 
worthy  of  love,  because  He  possesses  in  himself  every  perfection. 
We  ought  to  love  Him,  because  He  is  for  us  the  source  of  every 
good.  But,  my  Brethren,  it  is  not  enough  to  love  God,  we  must 
also  Love  our  Neighbor.  The  Gospel  joins  together  the  Love  of  God 
and  the  Love  of  the  Neighbor;  it  requires  that  these  two  loves 
should  be  inseparable,  and  it  even  declares  that  it  is  impossible  for 
us  truly  to  love  God,  whom  we  see  not,  unless  we  also  Love  our 
Neighbor,  whom  we  see.  You  understand  then,  why  I  mean  to 
speak  to  you  to-day  of  this  Love  of  our  Neighbor,  which  God  so 
much  desires  to  see  established  in  our  hearts,  and  I  trust  you  will 
listen  to  me  with  attention. 

Who  is  our  Neighbor?  The  catechism  furnishes  us  with  an 
answer :  Our  Neighbors  are  all  men  in  general,  because,  like  us, 
they  have  been  created  to  the  image  of  God  and  redeemed  by  the 
precious  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  By  the  word  Neighbor,  then,  we 
must  not  understand  only  our  relations,  our  friends,  our  benefac- 
tors, the  inhabitants  of  the  same  city,  of  the  same  kingdom,  or 
those  who  profess  the  same  religion  with  us.  No!  I  am  a  man, 
and  as  such  every  man  has  claims  on  my  heart.  This  affecting 
word  Neighbor,  introduced  into  human  language  by  the  Gospel, 


198  SHORT  SERMONS, 

comprehends  all  mankind,  without  distinction  or  exception,  that  is 
to  say,  our  fellow-citizens  and  strangers,  Christians  illumined  by  the 
light  of  the  true  faith,  and  heretics  buried  in  the  darkness  of  error, 
Jews  and  idolaters,  our  friends  and  our  enemies.  Charity  must  be 
universal,  that  is  to  say,  catholic,  like  our  faith.  If  we  refuse  our 
affection  to  even  one,  be  he  our  enemy  and  even  God's  enemy,  we 
have  no  longer  the  virtue  of  charity.  We  must  love  all  men,  for 
all  are  children  of  the  same  God,  and  the  Lord  showers  His  graces 
and  favors  upon  all :  the  dews  of  heaven  fertilize  the  earth  for  the 
good  and  the  bad, — for  the  good  and  the  bad,  the  sun  shines  in  the 
firmament  and  sheds  heat  and  light  on  the  world  ;  such  is  the  will 
of  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  We  must  Love  our  Neighbor,  that 
is  to  say,  all  mankind,  because,  like  us,  they  sprung  from  the 
creative  hand  of  God;  like  us,  they  have  received  from  the  So- 
vereign Master,  an  intelligent  and  rational  soul,  upon  which  God 
stamped  His  own  image ;  like  us,  they  have  been  redeemed  by  the 
blood  of  the  Man-God, — which  flowed  upon  Calvary  for  the  sal- 
vation of  all ;  like  us,  they  are  all  called  to  eternal  life,  and  they 
have  all  also  the  means  of  attaining  it,  as  long  as  they  live  here 
below.  We  ought  to  love  all  men,  because  we  form  with  them  but 
one  and  the  same  society, — one  and  the  same  family.  And  do  we 
not,  my  Brethren,  wish  to  be  loved  by  our  neighbor  ?  Therefore, 
it  is  but  just  that  we  should  also  love  them. 

We  must  Love  our  Neighbor :  this  law  is  engraved  in  ineffaceable 
characters  upon  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  heart ;  but  lest  we  should 
not  pay  sufficient  attention  to  it,  Jesus  Christ  has  made  of  it  a  new 
commandment  for  us  ;  He  says  to  us  :  "I  give  you  a  new  com- 
mandment :  that  you  love  one  another  ;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  you 
also  love  one  another."*  But  our  loving  Saviour  is  not  satisfied 
with  proclaiming  the  obligation  of  Loving  our  Neighbor ;  He  presents 
himself  as  the  model  to  be  imitated  in  the  accomplishment  of  this 
sacred  duty.  Let  us  then  read  the  history  of  His  life,  let  us  study 
well  the  actions  of  this  divine  model,  and  we  shall  learn  to  love  all 
men,  without  exception  of  persons,  and  without  excluding  any. 
Jesus  passed  His  life  in  going  about  doing  good,  and  it  was  not 
alone  to  His  friends,  or  to  persons  remarkable  for  their  dignity, 

*  St.  John,  xiii :  34. 


LOVE    OF    OUR    NEIGHBOR.  199. 

their  piety,  or  their  wealth,  for  whom  He  worked  His  miracles  and 
granted  His  favors ;  no,  never  did  any  unjust  preference  enter  His 
heart :  His  blessings  were  lavished  without  distinction  on  great  and 
small, — poor  and  rich, — just  and  sinful.  He  came  on  earth  for  all, 
He  suffered  for  all,  and  shed  the  last  drop  of  His  sacred  blood  for 
all  mankind.  I  should  now  be  allowed,  my  Brethren,  to  address 
you  in  the  words  of  St.  Paul : — I  do  not  believe  it  necessary  to 
exhort  you  to  the  practice  of  charity  toward  your  brethren :  you 
have  learned  how  to  love  one  another  by  observing  the  example 
which  your  divine  Saviour  has  given  you. — If  such  be  the  case,  you 
should  carefully  avoid  giving  fraternal  charity  limits  which  it  ought 
not  to  have,  and  circumscribing  it  within  a  narrow  circle  within  which 
only  a  few  privileged  persons  are  admitted.  Remember,  that  you 
ought  to  love  all  men,  even  your  enemies,  for  they  have  not  ceased 
to  be  your  neighbors  by  becoming  your  enemies,  and  you  ought  to 
walk  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Man-God,  who,  when  dying,  prayed 
even  for  His  executioners.  Your  charity  must  be  boundless,  it  must 
be  universal,  it  must  stop  only  at  the  gates  of  hell,  it  must  except 
only  the  demons  and  the  damned,  who  are  forever  excluded  from 
the  mansions  of  eternal  bliss,  because  they  are  the  irreconcilable 
enemies  of  God.  But  as  to  men,  you  must  love  them  without 
exception.  But  what  kind  of  love  should  we  bear  to  them  ? 

In  the  first  place,  we  ought  to  Love  our  Neighbor  for  the  love  of 
God.  The  Love  of  our  Neighbor  ought  not  to  seek  its  principle  and 
its  motive  in  the  qualities  and  perfections  which  distinguish  such 
and  such  persons,  not  in  our  sensibility,  not  in  our  self-love  and  our 
natural  inclinations,  not  in  the  benefits  which  we  have  received  from 
our  neighbor,  not  from  the  services  which  he  has  rendered  to  us ; 
for  that  would  be  only  a  natural  love,  which  could  not  please  God ; 
it  would  not  be  Christian.  You  must  Love  your  Neighbor  for  the 
love  of  God,  that  is  to  say,  because  God  commands  you  to  do  so. 
Whether  our  neighbor  be  virtuous  or  vicious,  possessed  of  qualities 
which  suit  us,  or  of  defects  which  displease  us ;  whether  he  has 
done  us  good  or  evil,  he  must  still  have  no  less  share  in  our  affec- 
tion. If  you  love  a  person,  you  esteem  the  painting  which  pre- 
serves his  features  :  you  should  then  Love  your  Neighbor,  for  he  has 
been  created  to  the  image  and  likeness  of  God,  whom  you  love. 
You  should  still  further  love  him,  because  God  loved  and  redeemed 


200  SHORT    SERMONS. 

him,  and  invites  him  to  heaven.  You  should  Love  your  Neighbor 
for  the  love  of  God,  that  is  to  say,  you  should  love  him  with  a  true 
and  sincere  love. 

Pay  attention  to  this,  my  Brethren  ;  God  does  not  want  us  to 
content  ourselves  with  the  simple  appearance  of  love,  or  to  confine 
our  love  to  mere  words.  No,  no,  it  is  not  an  apparent  and  deceitful 
love, — a  hypocritical  love,  a  love  in  which  the  heart  takes  no  part, 
that  God  requires  of  us.  We  must  Love  our  Neighbor  as  ourselves, 
in  heart  and  in  deed ;  in  heart :  that  is,  you  must  heartily  desire  for 
your  neighbor  every  blessing  that  you  can  lawfully  desire  for  your- 
selves ;  in  deed ;  that  is,  you  must  do  all  in  your  power  to  pro- 
cure for  your  neighbor  the  blessings  which  you  desire  for  your- 
selves. Listen  to  the  words  of  St.  Augustine  on  this  subject : 
"  Whosoever  loves  his  neighbor  as  himself,  desires  for  his  neighbor 
the  same  blessings  which  he  desires  for  himself,  and  procures  for 
him,  on  every  occasion,  the  same  advantages  which  he  procures  for 
himself,  if  he  can  do  so."  Take  care  not  to  inflict  on  your  neigh- 
bor the  evil  you  dread  falling  on  yourselves.  "  Do  nothing  to 
another  which  you  would  not  wish  him  to  do  to  you ; "  on  the  con- 
trary, treat  others  as  you  wish  to  be  treated  by  them.  Let  us  then 
examine  some  of  your  desires.  Is  it  not  true  that  you  desire  that 
others  would  forgive  your  faults  and  foibles,  that  they  would  con- 
sole you  in  your  troubles,  encourage  you  in  your  difficulties,  and 
extend  a  helping  hand  to  you  in  your  misfortune  and  misery  ?  Yes, 
you  desire  that  such  should  be  the  case.  Act  thus  then,  with  respect 
to  your  neighbors,  and  do  to  them,  what  under  similar  circum- 
stances you  would  have  them  to  do  to  you.  You  are  indignant  and 
unhappy  when  you  are  made  the  victim  of  treachery  and  crime, 
when  your  character  is  blackened  by  detraction  and  calumny,  and  a 
false  construction  put  upon  your  actions  ;  and  you  heartily  wish  to 
escape  being  wounded  by  the  poisoned  tongue  of  slander.  Be 
careful  then  to  avoid  committing  against  your  neighbor  these  same 
crimes,  which  fill  you  with  so  much  displeasure  when  committed 
against  yourself.  You  will  never  injure  your  neighbor,  by  word  or 
deed,  if  you  love  him  as  yourself,  if  charity  reign  in  your  hearts. 

How  happy,  my  Brethren,  would  we  be  if  charity  reigned  on 
earth !  There  would  be  found  no  more  poor,  no  more  miserable 
wretches ;  the  rich,  being  generous  and  benevolent,  would  relieve  them 


COMMANDMENTS    OF    GOD    IN    GENERAL.          201 

in  their  poverty,  and  comfort  them  in  their  misery ;  envy,  avarice, 
hatred  and  anger  would  exist  no  more ;  every  man  would  desire  the 
happiness  of  his  fellow  being,  and  would  rejoice  at  his  prosperity ; 
brothers  would  no  longer  despise  one  another,  insult  one  another, 
or  seek  to  undermine  one  another;  a  mutual  esteem,  love  and  desire 
to  assist  would  animate  all ;  among  them  there  would  be  but  one 
heart  and  one  soul;  and  thus  accomplishing  God's  law  of  love;  the 
heavenly  virtue  of  charity,  after  having  worked  their  happiness  here 
below,  would  introduce  them  into  the  abode  of  eternal  delights, 
where  those  who  will  have  known  how  to  love  as  God  commands, 
will  dwell  forever. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XL. 

THE    COMMANDMENTS   OF  GOD   IN  GENERAL. 


"If  thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments. — ST.  MATTHEW,  xix  :  17. 

IT  is  not  sufficient  for  one  to  say  in  his  heart :  I  love  my  God,  I 
love  my  neighbor ;  God  requires  that  this  love  should  be  reduced 
to  practice,  and  manifest  itself  by  acts,  especially  by  a  faithful  ob- 
servance of  His  holy  law.  "He  who  loves  me,"  says  our  Saviour, 
"keeps  my  Commandments;  he  who  loves  me  not,  keeps  not  my 
Commandments."  We  love  the  Lord,  and  prove  that  we  love 
Him  by  zealously  fulfilling  His  adorable  will.  Come  then,  my 
Brethren,  let  us  meditate  together  on  the  Law  of  God :  it  is  this 
law  that  converts  souls,  that  gives  wisdom  to  little  ones,  that  brings 
joys  to  the  heart  and  light  to  the  eyes. 

Laws  were  given  to  man  from  the  very  commencement  of  the  world. 
In  creating  man,  the  Lord  God  set  before  his  eyes  and  in  his  heart  a 
light,  which  enabled  him  to  distinguish  good  from  evil.  Man  was 
created  in  rectitude,  and  came  from  the  hand  of  God,  with  happy 
inclinations  to  good,  which  rendered  it  easy  for  him  to  accomplish 
all  his  duties.  Had  he  perseveringly  walked  in  the  innocence  in 


202  SHORT    SERMONS. 

which  he  was  created,  he  would  have  easily  preserved  the  knowledge 
of  all  the  obligations  which  his  condition  as  a  reasonable  creature 
imposed  upon  him  toward  his  Creator,  toward  himself  and  toward 
his  neighbor.  But  he  soon  ceased  to  hear  the  law  which  God  and 
his  reason  dictated.  Soon  too,  the  corruption  of  the  heart  bringing 
on  that  of  the  mind,  this  law  was  obscured,  forgotten,  and,  as  it 
were,  blotted  out  by  the  power  of  sin  and  concupiscence.  In  this 
miserable  state  man  needed  to  have  recalled  to  his  mind  the  Com- 
mandments which  God  had  intimated  to  him  at  the  moment  of  his 
creation.  Nevertheless,  the  Lord  deferred  for  a  long  time  giving  a 
written  law  to  his  chosen  people,  because  there  still  existed  a  great 
many  just  men,  who  by  their  advice  and  good  example,  reminded 
them  of  the  law  they  had  to  observe.  But,  after  the  long  stay 
which  the  people  of  God  had  been  compelled  to  make  in  idolatrous 
Egypt,  it  was  to  be  feared  that  they  would  follow  the  example  of 
infidel  nations,  would  cease  to  adore  the  Creator,  would  substitute 
falsehood  in  place  of  the  truth,  and  offer  their  incense  to  idols.  So 
the  Lord  resolved  to  announce  His  word  to  ''Jacob,  His  judgments 
and  His  Commandments  to  Israel,"  and  His  hand  wrote  the  law 
of  the  Decalogue. 

The  Almighty  calls  His  people  from  out  the  bondage  of  Egypt, 
and  three  months  after  their  departure  from  this  idolatrous  land, 
the  children  of  Israel  arrive  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Sinai.  The  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain  is  enveloped  in  clouds,  a  thick  smoke  rises  to 
heaven,  the  whole  appears  on  fire,  the  lightning  flashes,  the  thunder 
peals,  the  sound  of  trumpets  is  heard  on  every  side,  and  the  voice 
of  God  comes  forth  from  heaven,  exclaiming:  "I  am  the  Lord  thy 
God,  who  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house 
of  bondage.  Thou  shalt  not  have  strange  gods  before  me.  Thou 
shalt  not  make  to  thyself  a  graven  thing,  nor  the  likeness  of  any 
thing  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  in  the  earth  beneath,  nor  in  the 
waters  under  the  earth.  Thou  shalt  not  adore  them  nor  serve  them. 
Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain.  Re- 
member that  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day.  Honor  thy  father 
and  thy  mother,  that  thou  mayest  be  long-lived  upon  the  land 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  will  give  thee.  Thou  shalt  not  kill. 
Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery.  Thou  shalt  not  steal.  Thou 
shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neighbor.  Thou  shalt  not 


COMMANDMENTS    OF    GOD    IN    GEBEKAL.  203 

covet  thy  neighbor's  house :  neither  shalt  thou  desire  his  wife,  nor 
his  servant,  nor  his  handmaid,  nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  any 
thing  that  is  his." 

Behold,  my  Brethren,  with  what  solemnity  the  Lord  announces 
His  divine  will  to  His  people.  All  this  grand  and  majestic  prepar- 
ation tells  us,  who  is  here  the  legislator  :  it  is  the  all-powerful  and 
eternal  God,  the  Lord  of  lords,  the  King  of  kings ;  and,  by  engrav- 
ing His  law  on  stone,  He  himself  teaches  us  the  esteem  with  which 
we  ought  to  regard  it,  the  respectful  submission  with  which  we 
ought  to  receive,  and  everywhere  and  always  practice  it. 

Although  these  ten  Commandments  were  given  at  first  only  to  the 
people  of  Israel,  yet  you  must  not  imagine  that  they  were  not  also 
imposed  upon  us.  To  us,  Christians,  as  well  as  to  the  Israelites, 
this  holy  law  was  given,  for  our  divine  Saviour  tells  us,  that  He 
came,  not  to  abolish  the  law,  but  to  fulfill  and  perfect  it ;  and  He 
adds  :  "  If  thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  Commandments/'  A 
young  man  comes  to  find  Him  and  says  to  Him :  "  Good  Master, 
what  good  shall  I  do,  that  I  may  have  life  everlasting  ?"  Our 
meek  Saviour  answered  him :  "If  thou  will  enter  into  life,  keep 
the  Commandments.  He  saith  to  Him  :  which?  And  Jesus  said: 
Thou  shalt  do  no  murder :  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery  :  Thou 
shalt  not  steal :  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  :  Honor  thy  father 
and  thy  mother :  and,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."* 
These  are  exactly  the  Commandments  of  the  ancient  Decalogiie. 
We  are  therefore  obliged  to  observe  this  law,  for  it  is  the  law  of  the 
Supreme  Legislator,  the  Master  of  the  world,  the  Creator  and  Judge 
of  all  men  ;  we  are  then  bound  to  observe  the  Decalogue,  for  the 
Lord  did  not  come  to  revoke  these  divine  Commandments,  but  on 
the  contrary,  He  gave  them  a  new  force, — a  new  authority,  and  He 
declares  that  we  can  attain  heaven  only  by  walking  in  the  way  of 
these  Commandments. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe  the  Commandments  to  attain  heaven. 
Take  care,  therefore,  that  you  do  not  say  with  some  heretics  of  our 
time,  that  it  is  impossible  to  fulfill  these  Commandments.  To  speak 
thus,  is  a  blasphemy,  for  God  declares  that  He  commands  us  no- 
thing that  is  above  our  strength. f  It  is  an  impiety,  for  our  Saviour 

*  St.  Matthew,  xix :  16,  17,  18,  19.  f  Deuteronomy,  xxx  :  11. 


204  SHORT    SERMONS. 

promises  us  His  Holy  Spirit  to  aid  us  in  walking  along  the  path  of 
the  Commandments.*  It  is  a  heresy,  for  the  Church  declares,  with 
St.  Augustine,  that  God  commands  nothing  that  is  impossible,  but 
He  bids  us  ask,  however  difficult  the  thing  we  undertake,  and  He  will 
give  us  the  power  to  accomplish  it.  God  is  too  good,  says  the  Apos- 
tle, ever  to  require  of  us  any  thing  which  is  above  our  strength ;  the 
law  of  God  does  not  issue  from  the  throne  of  an  unjust  and  severe 
tyrant,  but  from  the  throne  of  a  tender  father.  If  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  of  difficult  access,  if  the  road  to  it  is  narrow,  let  us  con- 
sole ourselves  and  not  lose  courage,  for  each  of  us  can  say  with  the 
Apostle  :  "I  can  do  every  thing  in  God  who  strengthens  me  ;  His 
grace  makes  all  things  easy."  The  Word  of  truth  and  of  life,  Jesus 
Christ  himself,  has  said  that  His  yoke  is  sweet  and  his  burden  light. 
"Come  to  me,"  says  He,  "all  you  that  labor,  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  refresh  you.  Take  up  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of 
me,  because  I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart :  and  you  shall  find 
rest  to  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  sweet,  and  my  burden 
light.f "  St.  John,  the  beloved  Apostle,  tells  us  that  "  His 
Commandments  are  not  heavy. J"  Love,  and  you  will  easily 
do  what  God  commands  you ;  pray,  and  you  will  be  strong 
enough  to  fulfill  His  holy  law.  It  is  very  true,  that,  were  we 
dependent  on  our  own  weakness,  we  could  not  accomplish  all  the 
law  of  God  requires  of  us  ;  but  ask,  and  you  shall  receive ;  the 
assistance  of  grace  will  never  be  wanting  to  you ;  God  will  grant  it 
to  him  who  sincerely  desires  and  humbly  seeks  it.  Keep  the  Com- 
mandments,— it  is  in  your  power  to  do  so. 

If  you  keep  the  Commandments,  God  promises  you  a  great 
reward.  Yes,  says  the  prophet,  "much  will  be  given  to  him  who 
keeps  the  law."  To  those  who  keep  the  law,  God  promises  the 
possession  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  after  their  death,  and  even  in 
this  life  he  loads  them  with  favors  and  grants  them  all  kinds  of 
blessings.  It  is  for  them,  that  the  "  good,  pressed  down,  shaken 
together  and  running  over  measure"  is  prepared.  God  acknowl- 
edges them,  and  treats  them  as  His  children  :  He  hears  their  prayers, 
consoles  them  in  their  afflictions,  assists  them  in  their  wants,  aids 
them  in  danger,  strengthens  them  in  temptation,  in  a  word,  bestows 

»  Ezechiel,  xxxvi :  27.        f  St.  Matthew,  xi :  28,  29,  30.        $  1  St.  John,  v  :  3. 


ADOKATION    OF    GOD.  205 

upon  them  a  profound  and  heartfelt  peace,  which  is  a  foretaste  of 
that  they  are  destined  one  day  to  enjoy  in  heaven. 

Let  us  apply  ourselves  continually,  my  Brethren,  to  meditate 
upon  the  holy  law, — the  divine  Commandments  of  the  Lord,  which 
ought  to  be  the  rule  of  all  our  actions  and  conduct,  and  upon  the 
fulfillment  of  which  depends  our  happiness  in  this  life,  and  in  the 
life  to  come.  Let  us  love  this  heavenly  law, — let  us  love  God  who 
gave  it  to  us.  If  we  truly  love  we  shall  find  the  burden  light  and 
the  yoke  sweet,  we  shall  carry  it  with  joy,  and  with  St.  Augustine, 
will  say  :  "Lord,  give  me  grace  to  do  what  thou  commandest,  and 
command  what  thou  pleasest."  And  the  grace  will  be  granted  to  us, 
and  our  hearts  will  receive  strength  and  wonderful  energy.  Should 
it,  however,  happen  that  the  observance  of  the  law  appears  burden- 
some to  us,  through  our  own  weakness;  should  it  happen  that  we 
experience  pain  in  walking  along  the  straight  and  narrow  road  which 
the  hand  of  God  has  marked  out  for  us,  and  in  which  Jesus,  loaded 
with  His  cross,  has  preceded  us,  inviting  us  to  follow  Him :  let  us 
cast  our  eyes  toward  those  eternal  mansions,  and  remember  that 
there  a  treasure  infinitely  rich  awaits  us, — God  himself,  who  will  be 
our  reward  exceedingly  great ;  thus  will  we  be  inspired  with  new 
courage  and  strength  to  continue  the  combat,  to  run,  as  the  Apostle 
expresses  it,  until  we  have  attained  the  goal,  and  borne  off  the 
prize  of  eternal  life.  Heaven  awaits  him,  who  on  earth  will  have 
done  the  will  of  the  Lord. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XLI. 

FIRST  COMMANDMENT. 

ADORATION  OF   GOD. 


"Thou  shalt  not  have  strange  gods  before  me." — EXODUS,  xx:   3. 

CHRISTIANS,  we  are  all  obliged  to  observe  the  precepts  of  the 
Decalogue,  for  our  divine  Saviour  has  said  to  us  :  "  If  thou  wilt  enter 


206  SHORT    SERMONS. 

into  life,  keep  the  Commandments."  Refuse  not  then  to  take  upon 
yourselves  this  yoke,  for  it  is  the  yoke  of  the  Lord,  and  it  is  sweet 
and  light.  Shrink  not  from  the  holy  law  of  God,  our  Father ;  it 
will  be  always  easy  for  you  to  follow  and  practice  it,  if  you  are 
careful  to  ask  the  assistance  of  grace,  which  the  divine  Goodness 
will  never  refuse  to  prayer  well  made.  Let  us  therefore  examine 
to-day  what  the  First  Commandment  of  God  ordains,  and  what  it 
forbids:  "I  am  the  Lord  thy  God:  thou  shalt  not  have  strange 
gods  before  me  :  thou  shalt  not  make  to  thyself  a  graven  thing,  nor 
the  likeness  of  any  thing,  thou  shalt  not  adore  them,  nor  serve 
them.  One  God  alone  shalt  thou  adore,  and  Him  only  shalt  thou 
serve." 

What  then  does  God  command  by  this  First  Commandment : 
"the  Lord  thy  God  shalt  thou  adore,  and  Him  only  shalt  thou 
serve."  He  commands  us  to  render  to  himself  the  worship  of  ador- 
ation which  is  due  to  Him,  and  to  love  Him  with  our  whole  heart : 
that  is,  my  Brethren,  we  must  believe  that  God  is  the  Creator  and 
sovereign  Master  of  all  things ;  we  must  place  in  Him  all  our  confi- 
dence, give  Him  all  our  love,  and  consecrate  all  the  powers  of  our 
soul  to  Him,  as  to  the  Being  who  alone  can  make  us  truly  happy, 
by  communicating  to  us  infinite  wealth  in  the  possession  of  his  own 
adorable  goodness  and  beauty.  Such  is  the  worship  of  adoration 
which  the  heavenly  Father  requires  His  children  to  render  to  Him, 
and  which  essentially  consists  in  the  practice  of  the  virtues  of  faith, 
hope,  charity  and  religion. 

By  faith,  we  rise  to  the  knowledge  of  the  infinite  majesty  of 
God,  and  we  honor  and  adore  His  veracity,  by  holding  as  true  every 
thing  He  has  been  pleased  to  reveal  to  the  world.  By  hope,  we 
place  an  entire  confidence  in  God,  and,  by  this  confidence,  recognize 
and  adore  His  omnipotence, — we  honor  and  adore  His  fidelity  in 
promises.  Charity  makes  us  love  God  above  all  things,  and,  by 
thus  loving  Him,  we  honor  His  sovereign  bounty,  and  render  to 
Him  a  true  and  perfect  adoration.  In  fine,  by  the  virtue  of  religion, 
we  revere  and  adore  the  excellence  of  the  divine  Being,  we  acknowl- 
edge that  He  is  the  sovereign  Ruler,  the  supreme  Lord  of  all  things ; 
this  is  the  virtue  which  regulates  the  respect  which  is  due  to  Him, 
and  to  every  thing  which  is  consecrated  to  His  worship. 

We  have  a  body  and  a  soul,  and  we  have  received  both  one  and 


ADORATION    OF    GOD.  207 

the  other  from  the  bounty  of  God :  we  must  therefore  render  to 
God  a  twofold  adoration, — the  adoration  of  the  soul,  and  the  adora- 
tion of  the  body: — interior  and  exterior  worship. 

If,  penetrated  with  a  holy  respect,  your  heart  humbles  itself 
before  the  supreme  Majesty ;  if  it  rejoices  in  the  comtemplation 
of  the  infinite  perfections  of  the  sovereign  Master ;  if  it  glorifies 
the  grandeur,  the  power,  and  the  bounty  of  its  God ;  if,  from 
the  bottom  of  your  soul,  you  acknowledge  that  the  Lord  is  the 
source  of  all  good,  that  you  have  received  all  from  His  benefi- 
cent hand,  your  soul,  your  body,  your  whole  being; — that  you 
depend  upon  God  for  all  things :  if  such  are  your  thoughts  and 
sentiments,  you  render  to  God  true  homage,  interior  adoration,  that 
of  the  soul  and  of  the  heart,  which  is  so  pleasing  to  the  Almighty. 
This  adoration  you  can  render  to  Him  at  all  times,  in  all  places, 
and  under  every  circumstance,  by  the  motions  of  a  devout  and  sub- 
missive heart,  ever  devoted  to  His  service,  and  filled  with  the 
thought  of  His  divine  presence. 

If,  to  the  homage  of  the  heart  you  join  that  of  words,  signs, 
or  outward  demonstrations,  which  evince  the  sentiments  of  vener- 
ation which  you  have  in  your  soul,  such  for  instance  as  the  act  of 
kneeling,  of  prostrating  yourselves,  of  elevating  your  hands  and 
eyes  toward  heaven,  then  you  render  to  God  both  interior  and  exterior 
adoration, — the  adoration  of  the  body  united  with  that  of  the  soul. 
But  if,  while  you  outwardly  adore  God,  while  you  are  prostrate 
before  His  holy  altar,  and  your  mouth  pronounces  the  accustomed 
form  of  prayer,  you  do  not  adore  God  from  the  bottom  of  your 
heart,  what  is  your  adoration  ?  You  honor  Him  with  your  lips,  but 
your  heart  is  far  from  Him.  Of  what  avail  then  is  this  adoration? 
It  is  vain  and  useless,  says  our  Saviour ;  for  it  is  the  homage  of  the 
heart  that  God  demands, — the  homage  of  confidence  and  love.  Is 
not  this  what  we  require  of  other  men  ?  Do  we  not  reckon  as 
nothing  mere  outside  show  ?  We  demand  a  love  that  is  cordial, 
and  we  reject  those  demonstrations  of  friendship  which  the  heart 
belies ;  we  desire  that  our  friends  should  love  us  sincerely.  But, 
my  Brethren,  is  not  our  God  called  the  God  of  the  heart  ?  Do  not 
therefore,  suppose  that  He  will  be  satisfied  with  mere  appearances  ; 
He  requires  that  our  soul  be  united  with  our  body  for  adoration  ; 
and  if  only  our  body  bend,  while  the  soul  remains  inattentive  and 


208  SHORT    SERMONS. 

refuses  its  homage,  the  Lord  pronounces  us  hypocrites  and  liars.  We 
must  then  adore  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth :  such  is  the  worship 
which  He  exacts  of  us,  and  which  the  first  precept  of  the  Decalogue 
enjoins.  Let  us  now  see  what  this  same  Commandment  prohibits. 

It  prohibits  idolatry  and  superstition.  The  sin  of  idolatry  consists 
in  transferring  to  the  creature  or  to  vain  idols,  the  homage  and 
adoration  which  are  due  only  to  the  sovereign  majesty  of  God. 

When  the  Jews  were  about  being  carried  away  captives  to  Baby- 
lon, the  prophet  addressed  them  in  these  words:  "But  now,  you 
shall  see  in  Babylon  gods  of  gold,  and  of  silver,  and  of  stone, 
and  of  wood,  borne  upon  shoulders,  causing  fear  to  the  Gentiles. 
Beware  therefore  that  you  imitate  not  the  doings  of  others,  and  be 
afraid,  and  the  fear  of  them  should  seize  upon  you.  But  when  you 
shall  see  the  multitude  behind  and  before,  adoring  them,  say  you  in 
your  hearts  :  Thou  oughtest  to  be  adored,  0  Lord."*  And  we  also, 
my  Brethren,  ought  often  to  say:  "Thou  alone,  O  Lord,  oughtest 
to  be  adored  ;"  for  we  are  in  this  world,  and  what  is  the  world,  but 
a  vast  Babylon,  given  up  to  the  worship  of  idols  ?  It  is  true, 
people  do  not  adore  men  like  themselves,  they  do  not  worship  idols 
of  wood  or  stone,  they  do  not  practice  the  gross  idolatry  of  paganism, 
— but  is  there  not  another  kind  of  idolatry  in  their  hearts  ?  Alas  ! 
how  great  is  the  number  of  the  senseless  men  who  refuse  to  adore 
God,  who  idolize  themselves,  and  who  pass  their  whole  lives  ador- 
ing pride,  vanity,  gold  and  silver,  sensual  pleasures,  impurity, 
gluttony  and  drunkenness !  These  are  the  divinities  to  which  these 
people  prostitute  their  incense  and  their  adoration.  Oh  !  shun  this 
criminal  idolatry,  and,  mindful  of  God,  say  to  Him  from  the  bottom 
of  your  hearts:  "Thou  alone,  0  Lord,  Oughtest  to  be  adored." 

There  are  rules  which  the  Church  has  appointed  to  be  observed  in 
her  sacred  worship,  and  from  which  it  is  never  lawful  to  depart. 
Always  wise  in  her  aims,  she  wishes  to  avoid  the  inconvenience  of 
arbitrary  practices  which  would  disturb  the  beautiful  uniformity, 
that  beautiful  harmony  which  she  desires  so  much  should  prevail  in 
all  her  august  ceremonies.  Now,  you  fall  into  superstition,  if  you 
deviate  from  these  principles,  and  employ  in  religion  certain  un- 
authorized customs.  Thus  you  are  guilty  of  superstition,  and  you 

*  Baruch,  vi :  3,  4,  5. 


ADORATION    OF    GOD.  209 

commit  sin,  if  you  believe  that  by  reciting  such  and  such  prayers,  a 
certain  number  of  times,  at  such  an  hour,  or  in  such  a  place,  you 
will  be  cured  of  the  sickness  by  which  you  are  afflicted,  or  that  you 
will  recover  the  property  you  may  have  lost.  You  are  guilty  of 
superstition,  and  you  commit  sin,  if  you  prefer  the  worship  of  the 
saints  to  that  of  God ;  if  you  have  a  presumptuous  confidence  in 
their  protection  ;  if  you  take  it  on  yourself  to  violate  any  of  the 
Commandments,  vainly  trusting  in  some  practice  of  devotion  you 
may  have  adopted.  You  are  guilty  of  superstition,  and  you  commit 
sin,  if  you  observe  certain  days  as  unfortunate,  certain  circumstances 
as  bad  omens  ;  if  you  consult  fortune-tellers,  or  pretended  sooth- 
sayers, to  learn  from  them  future  things,  to  discover  stolen  goods, 
or  any  thing  of  the  kind.  Know  that  this  is  an  attack  on  the  rights 
of  God,  who  reserves  to  himself  the  knowledge  of  those  future 
events  which  depend  on  the  action  of  free  agents. 

Avoid  superstition,  God  commands  you  to  shun  it.  But,  at  the 
same  time,  be  on  your  guard  against  those  infidels  so  numerous  in 
our  day,  who  treat  as  superstitions  the  greater  part  of  our  dogmas 
and  sacred  ceremonies.  There  never  will  be  superstition  in  the 
practices  and  devotions  taught  and  sanctioned  by  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  it  is  God  who  enlightens  and  directs  her,  and  He 
will  be  with  her  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  ages. 

Let  us  take  the  resolution  to  observe  faithfully  what  the  First 
Commandment  of  the  Lord  ordains,  and  to  avoid  carefully  what  it 
forbids.  Let  us  constantly  walk  in  the  practice  of  the  virtues  of 
faith,  hope,  charity  and  religion.  Let  us  place  our  trust  in  the 
goodness  and  providence  of  the  Lord  our  God,  who  perpetually 
watches  over  us,  and  takes  us  under  His  Fatherly  protection.  Let 
us  adore  our  God,  and  let  us  adore  none  but  Him  ;  let  us  render  to 
Him  true  worship, — the  worship  of  the  heart,  the  soul  and  mind ; 
let  us  be  submissive  to  His  holy  will,  and  seek  to  comply  with  it, 
in  all  things  and  under  all  circumstances,  that  we  may  merit  the 
recompense  which  the  Lord  promises  to  those  who  shall  faithfully 
persevere  to  the  end,  and  which  I  sincerely  wish  you  all  from  my 
whole  heart. — AMEN. 
18 


210  SIIOKT   SERMONS  . 

SERMON    XLII. 

FIRST  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS. 


"Thou  shalt  not  have  strange  gods  before  me." — EXODUS,  xx :   3. 

THE  worship  which  we  must  render  to  God,  is  that  of  a  sincere 
adoration, — it  is  the  worship  of  the  soul  ajid  of  the  mind,  of  the 
heart  and  of  the  body.  We  fulfill  this  holy  duty  perfectly,  when 
we  practice  the  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  charity  and  religion.  You 
adore  the  Lord,  your  God,  and  you  adore  Him  alone.  But,  my 
Brethren,  we  honor  and  invoke  the  Angels  and  the  Saints ;  we  even 
honor  their  images  and  relics.  Is  this  a  lawful  worship  ?  We  are 
going  to  see  that  the  law  of  God  does  not  prohibit  it.  We  have, 
in  fact,  already  seen  a  proof  of  it  in  the  beautiful  salutation  addressed 
by  the  angel  to  Mary. 

We  honor  and  invoke  the  Saints  ;  we  honor  their  images  and 
relics  ;  is  this  permitted  ?  My  Brethren,  the  law  of  God  does  not 
forbid  it.  There  is  a  vast  difference  between  the  worship  which  we 
render  to  God  and  that  which  we  pay  to  the  Saints.  We  render  to 
God  the  worship  of  adoration,  whereas  we  honor  the  Saints  only 
with  an  inferior  and  subordinate  worship,  as  beings  who  are  infi- 
nitely below  God,  who  are  His  creatures,  but  His  friends,  and  our 
protectors  in  heaven.  It  is  from  God  alone  that  we  expect  every 
good  and  perfect  gift,  for  He  alone  is  the  author  of  grace, — He  alone 
can  bestow  grace;  hence,  when  we  address  God,  we  say:  "Lord, 
have  mercy  on  us ;  Lord,  hear  us."  But  when  we  invoke  the  Saints, 
we  say:  "Pray  for  us,"  and  we  ask  that  they  would  unite  their 
supplications  with  ours, — that  they  would  support  our  prayers  with 
the  influence  and  power  which  they  possess  as  the  friends  of  God, 
to  whose  prayers,  no  doubt,  He  grants  His  graces  and  blessings 
much  more  freely  than  to  ours,  sinners  as  we  are.  It  is  not  there- 


I  N  V  O  C  A  T  I  O  N    O  F    S  A  I  N  T  S  .  211 

fore  from  the  Saints  that  we  expect  directly  to  receive  the  favors  of 
heaven,  but  from  God  through  their  mediation.  It  is  not  even 
through  their  prayers  that  we  hope  to  attain  the  object  of  our 
petitions,  but  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  they 
themselves  are  indebted  for  the  degree  of  glory  which  they  have 
attained.  No,  my  Brethren,  we  do  not  adore  the  Saints,  we  adore 
none  but  God ;  but  we  honor  them,  because  such  is  the  will  of  God ; 
we  pray  to  them  and  invoke  their  prayers,  because  the  Holy  Ghost 
leads  us  to  do  so.  He  says  to  us  in  the  holy  Council  of  Trent : 
"That  the  Saints  who  reign  with  Jesus  Christ  offer  to  God  their 
prayers  for  men ;  that  it  is  good  and  useful  to  invoke  them  in  an 
humble  manner,  and  to  fly  to  their  aid  and  succor  to  obtain  the 
favors  of  God,  through  His  Son,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  alone 
is  our  Saviour  and  Redeemer." 

Yes,  it  is  good  and  useful  to  invoke  the  Saints,  for  God  takes 
pleasure  in  giving  what  they  ask.  He  has  innumerable  times 
granted  the  greatest  favors  to  their  prayers,  and  particularly  to  the 
powerful  intercession  of  the  blessed  Virgin.  Why  therefore  should 
we  not  have  confidence  in  the  prayers  of  the  Saints  ?  Why  should 
we  not  rely  on  their  protection,  and  expect  from  them  powerful 
assistance  in  our  weakness  and  misery  ?  Are  they  not  the  friends 
of  God  ?  Are  they  not,  like  ourselves,  children  of  the  Church,  and 
members  of  that  body  of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head  ?  Are 
they  not  our  brethren,  and  have  they  ceased  to  love  us,  because 
they  are  happy  in  heaven  ?  No,  no,  my  Brethren,  they  do  not  cease 
to  offer  to  the  Lord  golden  censers  filled  with  the  odors  of  their 
prayers  and  ours. 

But  by  invoking  the  Saints  do  we  not  offer  an  injury  to  the  medi- 
ation of  Jesus  Christ  ?  No,  since  He  himself  teaches  us  by  the 
organ  of  His  Church,  that  it  is  good  and  useful  to  have  recourse 
to  their  intercession.  While  invoking  the  Saints,  we  do  not  cease 
to  acknowledge  that  our  divine  Jesus  is  our  sole  Mediator  with 
His  eternal  Father,  and  we  profess  that  it  is  only  through  His 
infinite  merits  that  the  Saints  are  what  they  are,  and  can  obtain 
what  they  ask. 

My  Brethren,  honor  and  invoke  the  Saints,  and  you  will  make 
yourselves  agreeable  to  God  and  to  His  divine  Son,  who  was  pleased 
to  glorify  them  among  us  by  the  numerous  miracles  which  they 


I 

212  SHORT    SERMONS. 

wrought  in  His  name.  But  above  all,  honor  and  invoke  Mary, 
the  holy  Mother  of  God,  the  Queen  of  heaven,  for  her  divine 
Son  has  placed  in  her  hands  an  immense  treasure  of  power  and 
mercy. 

It  is  good,  it  is  useful  to  honor  and  invoke  the  Saints  ;  hut  do  not 
confine  your  devotion  to  themselves,  honor  also  their  holy  relics  and 
images.  Why  should  you  not  do  so  ?  Is  it  not  true,  that  we  pre- 
serve with  affection  and  respect  what  belonged  to  a  cherished  and 
revered  friend  ?  The  piece  of  furniture,  the  book  which  belonged 
to  my  father  or  my  mother,  I  preserve  with  a  tender  and  respectful 
remembrance.  We  embalm  the  bodies  of  distinguished  men  ;  we 
receive  and  hold  in  great  veneration  t]ie  lifeless  remains  of  heroes, 
and  of  those  who  were  illustrious  in  the  arts  and  sciences.  When 
Moses  left  Egypt,  he  carried  with  him  the  bones  of  the  patriarch 
Joseph,  to  whose  memory  we  also  find  that  his  brethren  erected  a  tomb 
in  the  promised  land.  Thus  also  the  primitive  Christians  collected 
and  preserved  with  a  holy  respect  the  blood  and  bodies  of  martyrs. 
The  torn  garments,  the  earth  on  which  their  blood  had  fallen,  in  a 
word,  any  thing  belonging  to  them  or  connected  with  their  combat, 
were  kept  with  a  pious  care  and  respect  in  the  houses  of  Christians, 
or  placed  on  the  altars  of  churches.  They  erected  magnificent 
temples  over  the  tombs  of  martyrs, — over  these  holy  men,  who 
have  purpled  with  their  blood  the  crown  of  the  Church. 

We  honor  the  relics  of  the  Saints, — we  preserve  them  with  vener- 
ation, and  in  doing  so,  we  are  supported,  as  you  have  seen,  by  the 
impulses  of  the  human  heart,  and  by  the  practice  of  every  age  and 
of  every  country.  We  are  also  defended  by  the  authority  of  the 
Church.  The  Church  has  always  manifested  a  profoundly  religious 
respect  for  the  bodies  and  relics  of  the  Saints ;  because  these  Saints 
have  been,  as  it  were,  the  victims  of  God  by  their  martyrdom  or  by 
their  penance,  the  living  members  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  temples  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  instruments  whom  God  had  selected  and 
employed  to  spread  abroad  the  splendor  of  His  glory.  Beside,  my 
Brethren,  the  miracles  which  God  has  worked  through  the  relics  of 
the  Saints,  authorize  the  practice  of  the  Church  in  so  convincing  a 
manner  that  it  is  impossible  to  find  any  thing  better  established. 
The  sacred  Scriptures  itself  tells  us  that  a  dead  body  recovered  life 
by  simply  touching  the  bones  of  the  prophet  Eliseus.  We  road  in 


INVOCATION    OF    SAINTS.  213 

the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  "God  wrought  special  miracles"  by 
the  hand  of  Paul.  "So  that  even  there  were  brought  from  his 
body  to  the  sick,  handkerchiefs  and  aprons,  and  the  diseases  departed 
from  them,  and  the  wicked  spirits  went  out  of  them."*  Should  we 
not  then  honor  what  God  honors  and  glorifies  so  much?  Beside, 
confidence  in  the  Saints,  and  in  their  holy  relics,  is  too  universal  to 
be  open  to  any  suspicion  of  fraud,  and  too  deeply  rooted  in  the 
hearts  of  men  for  heresy  or  impiety  ever  to  eradicate  it. 

My  Brethren,  it  is  said  in  the  Decalogue  :  "Thou  shalt  not  make 
to  thyself  a  graven  thing,  nor  the  likeness  of  any  thing  that  is  in 
heaven  above,  or  in  the  earth  beneath,  nor  of  those  things  that  are  in 
the  waters  under  the  earth.  Thou  shalt  not  adore  them,  nor  serve 
them."f  Do  not  these  words  condemn  the  respect  and  veneration 
which  we  render  to  images  ?  No  ;  for  they  do  not  absolutely  pro- 
hibit the  making  of  images,  but  only  the  making  of  images  for  the 
purpose  of  adoring  them  ;  they  do  not  forbid  all  honor  and  marks  of 
respect  to  statues,  pictures  and  images,  but  they  condemn  all  homage 
paid  to  idols.  But  I  appeal  to  yourselves, — when  you  venerate 
sacred  images,  do  you  adore  them  ?  Oh,  no  ;  you  know  too  well 
that  God  and  His  Church  would  condemn  you,  were  your  worship 
to  stop  with  the  images  themselves  ;  were  you,  for  example,  to  pay 
to  the  statue  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  or  to  that  of  any  other  Saint,  the 
supreme  worship  which  belongs  only  to  God.  But,  on  the  contrary, 
God  and  His  Church  commend  your  devotion,  when  you  venerate,  as 
the  Holy  Ghost  teaches  you,  the  cross,  the  images  of  our  Saviour,  of 
the  blessed  Virigin  and  of  the  Saints,  because  then  your  worship  is  free 
from  all  idolatry  and  from  all  superstition.  Instructed  in  the  school 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  you  honor  and  venerate  these  images, 
because  they  recall  to  your  minds  recollections  dear  to  your  hearts. 
You  never  think  of  attributing  to  these  images  any  divine  power  or 
virtue ;  you  ask  nothing  from  them,  you  place  no  confidence  in 
them  ;  but  the  honor  which  you  pay  them,  you  wish  to  refer  to 
those  holy  spirits,  of  whom  these  images  are  intended  as  represen- 
tations. You  kiss  them,  you  kneel  before  them,  but  it  is  your  Lord 
whom  you  adore,  it  is  His  saints  whom  you  venerate  when  you  do 
so.  Herein  you  but  imitate  the  child  that  imprints  a  kiss  of  love 


*  Acts,  xix:  11,  12.  f  Exodus,  xx:  4,  5. 


214  S  II  O  li  T    SERMONS. 

on  its  father's  or  mother's  portrait.  No  one  surely  who  has  a  heart 
and  knows  how  to  love,  would  condemn  it  for  acting  thus.  My 
dear  Brethren,  do  not  forget  this  instruction,  and  in  your  devotion 
and  in  the  honor  which  you  render  to  the  Saints,  to  their  images, 
and  to  their  holy  relics,  avoid  all  superstition, — all  idolatry.  Never 
depart  from  the  teachings  of  the  Church ;  respect  and  honor  the 
Saints,  but  in  such  a  manner  that  the  honor  and  the  worship  which 
are  due  to  God  may  thereby  suffer  no  prejudice ;  honor  them  so, 
that  your  worship  may  be  agreeable  to  the  Saints  themselves,  and 
useful  and  salutary  to  your  souls.  Remember  that  the  best,  the 
most  useful,  and  the  most  acceptable  worship  which  you  can  offer 
the  Saints,  consists  in  the  faithful  and  constant  imitation  of  the 
virtues  which  they  practiced.  Compassion,  love  of  God  and  love 
of  their  neighbor,  patience,  resignation  and  purity,  have  conducted 
them  to  the  happiness  of  heaven.  You  must  walk  in  the  same 
way :  enter  then  on  this  path,  and  pray  devoutly  to  the  Saints  that 
you  may  persevere  in  it.  They  also  will  then  pray  for  you,  they 
will  obtain  for  you  abundant  graces,  and  you  will  accomplish  the 
holy  will  of  God  in  all  things :  your  recompense  will  be  eternal 
bliss. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XLIII. 

SECOND   COMMANDMENT. 

ON  TAKING   THE   LORD'S   NAME. 


"  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain." — EXODUS,  xx  :  7. 

To  God  alone  belongs  the  worship  of  adoration,  for  He  is  the  sov- 
ereign Master  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  it  would  be  a  great  crime 
to  transfer  this  worship  to  any  creature.  It  is  true,  we  bend  and 
prostrate  ourselves  before  the  images  of  the  saints,  in  the  presence 


ON    TAKING    THE    LORD'S    NAME.  215 

of  their  bones ;  we  honor  and  invoke  the  saints,  but  we  carefully 
abstain  from  adoring  them.  This  worship  is  free  from  all  idolatry 
and  superstition;  God  approves  of  it,  and  the  infallible  Church 
declares  that  it  is  good,  useful  aud  salutary.  Such,  my  Brethren, 
is  a  summary  of  our  last  instruction.  To-day  I  commence  the 
explanation  of  the  second  precept  of  the  Decalogue. 

At  the  invocation  of  the  thrice  holy  name  of  the  Lord,  prodigies 
are  wrought,  miracles  are  effected,  the  powers  of  hell  tremble, 
angels  rejoice,  courage  revives  in  the  heart  of  man,  and  consolation 
and  hope  return  to  the  soul  of  the  unfortunate. 

We  feel  naturally  impelled  to  invoke  this  adorable  name,  and  in 
danger  and  affliction  we  exclaim  :  0  my  God  !  A  natural  inclina- 
tion moves  us  to  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  to  obtain  thereby 
aid  and  assistance ;  a  natural  inclination  also  leads  us  to  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord  to  confirm  the  truth  of  our  words,  or  the 
sincerity  of  our  promises.  Is  this  inclination  good,  proper  and 
praiseworthy  ?  Yes,  if  it  be  regulated  and  kept  within  just  bounds. 
Is  it  therefore  permitted  to  swear,  to  take  an  oath,  to  call  God  to 
witness  ?  Swearing,  or  the  act  of  taking  an  oath,  so  far  from  being 
bad  in  its  nature,  is,  on  the  contrary,  an  act  of  religion,  an  act  of 
homage  rendered  to  the  majesty  of  God  and  to  His  infinite  perfec- 
tions. You  call  to  witness  that  God  from  whose  piercing  eyes 
nothing  can  escape,  who  discovers  even  the  most  secret  thoughts  of 
our  hearts,  and  discerns  in  an  instant  the  truth  or  the  falsehood  of 
every  thing  that  issues  from  our  mouth :  you  therefore  proclaim  the 
infinite  knowledge  of  God ;  you  render  homage  to  His  immutable 
justice ;  and  you  submit  yourselves  to  the  judgment  of  Him  who  is 
the  all-pofTferful  protector  of  innocence,  the  sovereign  judge,  and 
the  supreme  avenger  of  all  falsehood  and  all  injustice. 

The  holiest  saints  and  even  God  himself  have  made  use  of  oaths. 
It  is  therefore  impossible  to  doubt  that  an  oath  may  be  lawful.  So 
the  Decalogue  does  not  say  to  us  absolutely :  "Thou  shalt  not  take 
the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God;"  but  it  says  to  us:  "Thou  shalt 
not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain."  The  law  of  God 
requires  that  great  discretion  should  be  used  in  taking  oaths,  and 
that  we  should  have  recourse  to  them  only  when  there  exists  a  real 
necessity ;  it  demands,  above  all,  that  we  should  never  employ  oaths 
unless  they  be  conformable  to  truth  and  to  the  ends  of  justice. 


216  SHORT    SERMONS. 

God  said:  "And  thou  shalt  swear:  As  the  Lord  liveth,  in  truth, 
and  in  judgment,  and  in  justice."*  An  oath  therefore  must  be 
made  in  truth.  What  you  affirm  on  oath  must  be  true,  and  while 
you  swear  it,  you  must  believe  that  the  thing  is  such  as  you  affirm 
it  to  be.  If  you  bind  yourself  to  any  thing  by  an  oath,  you  must 
be  firmly  resolved  to  discharge  your  engagement  with  fidelity  and 
at  the  specified  time. 

An  oath  must  be  taken  with  judgment ;  that  is  to  say,  we  should 
not  take  an  oath  on  every  light  and  trifling  occasion,  without 
necesssity  or  without  reflection  ;  but  with  prudence,  discretion,  and 
after  mature  consideration.  Therefore,  before  you  take  an  oath, 
first  always  carefully  examine  whether  necessity  oblige  you  to  the 
act,  and  whether  the  thing  be  sufficiently  important  to  deserve 
being  attested  in  so  solemn  a  manner. 

An  oath  must  be  made  with  justice  ;  by  which  I  mean,  that  the 
object  of  the  o9,th,  or  the  thing  affirmed,  should  be  just,  reasonable, 
honest  and  equitable ;  otherwise  you  sin  by  swearing,  and  you  also 
sin  by  fulfilling  your  oath.  "An  oath  should  never  subserve  ini- 
quity, says  St.  Jerome. 

Truth,  judgment  and  justice ;  these  are  the  conditions  of  an  oath, 
and  if  these  are  wanting  to  it,  it  is  always  sinful,  and  becomes  then 
a  perjury  and  not  an  oath.  "If  an  oath  be  without  truth,  it  is 
false ;  if  without  judgment,  it  is  indiscreet ;  if  without  justice,  it  is 
pernicious,"  says  St.  Tholnas. 

"Refrain  from  oaths,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "except  when  you 
are  compelled  to  have  recourse  to  them.  It  is  difficult  to  swear 
right,  and  always  criminal  to  swear  falsely."  The  Holy  Ghost 
says:  "Let  not  thy  mouth  be  accustomed  to  swearing:  for  in  it 
there  are  many  falls.  And  let  not  the  naming  of  God  be  usual  in 
thy  mouth.  A  man  that  sweareth  much,  shall  be  filled  with  iniquity; 
and  a  scourge  shall  not  depart  from  his  house,  and  it  shall  be  filled 
with  his  punishment."*  Avoid  therefore,  my  Brethren,  taking  the 
name  of  the  Lord  your  God  in  vain  ;  dread  the  sin  of  perjury,  for 
in  the  sight  of  God  it  is  a  heinous  crime,  and  His  supreme  justice 
will  one  day  punish  it  in  the  severest  manner. 

But  this  is  not  all  that  the  Second  Commandment  forbids.     It 

*  Jeremias,  iv:  2.  f  Ecclesiasticus,  xxiii:  9, 10,  12. 


NAME.  217 

also  prohibits  those  dreadful  imprecations  which  you  utter  against 
yourselves  and  others.  Your  mouth  is  filled  with  maledictions ; 
unfortunate  man  !  Do  you  not  know  that  God  sometimes  permits 
that  he  who  curses  his  neighbor  in  the  bitterness  of  his  soul  should 
be  heard  ?  You  wish  the  death  of  your  wife  or  your  children  ;  God, 
to  punish  you,  will  take  them  from  this  world  at  the  time  when  you 
most  need  their  services.  In  times  of  anger,  you  break  out  into 
curses  on  your  cattle,  against  every  thing  that  surrounds  you ;  God 
will  not  allow  these  sins  to  go  unpunished ;  the  curse  will  fall  upon 
your  stock,  on  your  furniture,  on  your  land,  and  on  every  thing  that 
belongs  to  you.  Be  cautious  therefore,  my  Brethren,  the  law  of  God 
forbids  these  maledictions  and  evil  wishes,  and  whoever  becomes 
guilty  of  them,  insults  the  adorable  name  of  God. 

Blasphemy  is  another  sin  opposed  to  the  Second  Commandment. 
Blasphemy,  or  words  injurious  to  God,  to  the  saints,  or  to  religion  ; 
alas  !  how  many  people  in  the  world  blaspheme  !  How  many  have 
the  audacity  to  attribute  to  God  what  is  repugnant  to  His  divine 
nature;  how  many  accuse  Him  of  injustice,  of  blindness,  of  in- 
difference, and  sacrilegiously  outrage  His  divine  perfections  !  How 
many  too,  impiously  deny  to  God  what  belongs  to  Him  !  Thus 
they  blaspheme,  who  dare  assert  that  God  does  not  take  care  of  His 
creatures,  while  our  divine  Lord  Jesus  Christ  assures  us,  that  not 
even  a  hair  of  our  heads  can  fall  to  the  ground  without  the  per- 
mission of  our  heavenly  Father !  How  many  people  there  are  who 
dare  speak  of  the  divine  attributes  with  contempt,  with  raillery 
and  insult !  How  many  unworthy  Christians  associate  the  holy 
name  of  God  with  words,  which  when  joined  to  it  form  a  most 
horrible  blasphemy !  But  I  will  speak  more  at  length  on  this 
dreadful  sin  at  some  future  time.  All  I  will  say  about  it  to-day  is, 
that  God  abominates  blasphemy ;  avoid  this  crime  then,  and  when- 
ever you  hear  any  one  blaspheming,  bless  and  glorify  the  holy  name 
of  God  in  your  heart,  and  offer  a  short  prayer. 

But,  my  Brethren,  it  is  not  enough  for  us  to  avoid  taking  the 
name  of  God  in  vain,  we  are  moreover  bound  to  honor  it.  You 
fulfill  this  precept,  and  honor  the  name  of  the  Lord  your  God,  when 
you  pray  to  Him,  when  you  sing  His  praises  with  true  sentiments 
of  devotion.  You  honor  the  name  of  God,  when  you  thank  Him 
for  His  blessings,  and  say  with  the  royal  prophet :  "  Bless  the  Lord, 
19 


218  SHORT   SERMONS. 

O  my  soul:  and  let  all  that  is  within  me  bless  His  holy  name."* 
You  honor  the  name  of  God,  when  you  have  recourse  to  Him  in 
your  wants,  and  resign  yourself  to  His  holy  will. 

You  honor  the  name  of  God,  when  you  are  careful  to  refer  to 
His  glory  all  your  thoughts,  your  desires  and  works,  when  you  place 
yourself  under  His  all-powerful  protection,  when  your  intention  is 
sincerely  to  act  in  His  name,  and  to  walk  in  the  practice  of  good 
works,  that  you  may  thereby  please  Him. 

You  honor  the  name  of  God,  when  you  faithfully  accomplish  the 
vows  you  have  made.  The  Holy  Ghost  says  :  "If  thou  hast  vowed 
any  thing  to  God,  defer  not  to  pay  it :  for  an  unfaithful  and  foolish 
promise  displeaseth  Him :  but  whatever  thou  hast  vowed,  pay  it : 
and  it  is  much  better  not  to  vow,  than  after  a  vow  not  to  perform 
the  things  promised."!  For  by  violating  your  vows,  you  fail  in 
the  promise  you  made  to  God,  which  is  in  some  manner  to  manifest 
a  desire  to  deceive  Him,  and  to  become  guilty  of  a  lie,  and  of  a 
kind  of  injustice  to  Him. 

Let  me  conjure  you,  by  the  interest  I  take  in  your  salvation,  never 
abuse  the  name  of  God.  Refrain  not  only  from  gross  swearing, 
from  those  shocking  profanations  of  the  Lord's  name,  but  also  from 
every  oath  that  is  not  necessary,  from  every  expression  which  might 
be  taken  as  an  oath,  and  from  every  word  that  is  disrespectful  to 
God. 

Let  us  speak  of  God  only  to  bless  and  honor  Him,  and  thereby 
induce  others  to  serve  Him.  Let  His  name  be  hallowed  both  by 
our  words  and  actions ;  may  the  holy  name  of  this  God  of  good- 
ness and  mercy  be  blessed,  who  has  done  so  much  to  make  himself 
be  loved  by  us !  My  Brethren,  let  us  love  God,  and  we  will  respect 
Him ;  let  us  love  Him,  and  we  will  honor  Him  ;  let  us  love  Him, 
and  He  will  love  us ;  He  will  come  to  us,  and  He  will  receive  us 
one  day  into  the  society  of  the  angels  and  saints,  where  we  will 
praise,  bless  and  glorify  Him  for  everlasting  ages. — AMEN. 

»  Psalms,  cii :  1.  t  Ecclesiastes,  v :  3,  4. 


ON    THE    SIN    OF    PROFANITY.  219 

SERMON  XLIV. 

SECOND  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

ON  THE  SIN  OF  PROFANITY. 


"He  that  blasphemeth  the  name  of  the  Lord,  dying  let  him  die." — LEVITICUS, 
xxiv:  16. 

THE  holy  Scriptures  tell  us  that  at  the  sound  of  the  sacred  name 
of  Jesus  eveiy  knee  shall  bow  in  heaven,  on  earth  and  in  hell, 
They  likewise  assure  us  that  there  is  no  other  name  given  to  men 
whereby  they  can  be  saved.*  Is  it  not  but  too  true  that  there  is 
no  other  name  which  will  cause  the  damnation  of  so  many,  by  the 
profane  and  blasphemous  use  which  they  make  of  it  ?  To  it  may 
well  be  applied  the  prophetic  words  of  Simeon,  that  it  is  set  up  for 
the  fall  and  resurrection  of  many  in  Israel,  and  for  a  sign  which 
shall  be  contradicted.  How  little  people  reflect  on  this  ?  In  truth, 
the  number  of  those  who  blaspheme  this  sacred  name  seems  to 
increase  every  day.  God  grant,  my  Brethren,  that  I  may  have  the 
happiness  of  making  you  rightly  comprehend  the  horrid  nature  of 
the  sin  of  blasphemy,  and  how  much  you  ought  to  dread  loading 
your  consciences  with  it.  This  is  what  I  propose  to  do  in  the 
present  instruction. 

He  who  blasphemes  commits  a  sacrilege.  A  sacrilege  is  the  pro- 
fanation of  a  holy  thing.  Now  what  more  holy  than  the  name  of 
the  Lord?  He  himself  says,  "From  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  to 
the  going  down  of  the  same,  my  name  is  great  among  the  gentiles ; 
and  in  every  place  there  is  sacrifice,  and  there  is  offered  to  my  name 
a  clean  oblation. "f  The  blasphemer  does  not  respect  and  adore, 
on  the  contrary,  he  profanes  and  insults  this  holy  name.  He  is 
therefore  guilty  of  sacrilege. 

*  Acts,  iv :  12.  f  Malachias,  i :  11. 


220  SHORT   SERMONS. 

He  who  blasphemes  is  guilty  of  impiety.  By  impiety,  is  understood 
the  contempt  of  God,  or  of  a  holy  thing ;  and  to  live  in  impiety,  is 
at  the  same  time  to  be  destitute  of  religion,  to  be  careless  of  salva- 
tion, and  to  glory  in  sin.  I  now  ask  the  blasphemer,  how  great  is 
the  injury  he  offers  to  God,  whom  he  curses  by  his  blasphemy  ? 
What  kind  of  religion  has  that  man,  who  from  morning  till  night, 
has  the  audacity  to  treat  his  God  as  he  would  not  dare  treat  the 
meanest  wretch  on  earth?  What  does  he  care  for  his  salvation, 
when  he  so  constantly  inflicts  on  his  own  soul  mortal  wounds,  heaps 
crime  upon  crime  on  his  conscience,  and  glories  in  his  wickedness, 
which  he  commits  so  boldly  and  so  openly  ?  The  blasphemer  is 
therefore  guilty  of  impiety  ;  and  I  will  add,  without  weakening  the 
force  of  what  I  have  already  said,  that  the  blasphemer  is  a  madman. 

For,  must  not  that  person  be  mad  who  consents  to  lose  the 
greatest  of  all  blessings,  and  exposes  himself  to  infinite  pains, — to 
eternal  torments,  without  receiving  any  profit  or  advantage  from  his 
crime  ?  But  the  blasphemer,  by  his  criminal  conduct,  loses  heaven 
and  deserves  hell ;  for  that  is  the  place  to  which  his  blasphemies 
bring  him.  Tell  me  now  what  advantage  does  the  blasphemer 
derive  from  the  commission  of  these  awful  sins  ?  I  tell  the  drunk- 
ard that  he  will  lose  his  soul,  but  he  replies  that  he  has  at  least  the 
pleasure  of  drinking,  and  thereby  drowns  his  sorrows  and  gratifies 
his  appetite.  I  say  to  the  sensualist,  that,  if  he  persist  in  his  wicked- 
ness, he  can  never  see  God ;  but  he  answers  me  :  let  us  rejoice  and  be 
merry  while  we  have  time.  Blasphemer,  I  come  to  warn  you 
on  the  part  of  God  that  you  are  damning  your  soul,  that  it  will 
be  forever  excluded  from  heaven,  and  that  it  will  have  to  suffer 
an  eternity  of  torments  in  the  flames  of  hell.  What  will  you  then 
have  gathered  from  all  your  blasphemies  ?  How  foolish  you  are 
to  renounce  unutterable  happiness  and  to  rush  into  endless  woes, 
by  continuing  to  commit  a  sin, — an  awful  sin,  which  procures  you 
neither  gain,  nor  profit,  nor  pleasure;  unless  perhaps  you  take 
pleasure  in  committing  sin,  unless  you  commit  it  for  the  mere 
delight  of  doing  so,  which  I  cannot  believe,  for  that  is  the  peculiar 
disposition  of  the  devil,  and  I  recoil  from  the  idea  that  you  would 
wish  to  make  yourself  like  to  him.  But  what  I  am  compelled  to 
admit  is,  that  you  show  more  ingratitude  to  God  than  the  very 
demons.  I  descend  in  spirit  into  the  abyss  of  hell,  and  I  hear 


ON    THE    SIN    OF    PROFANITY.  221 

a  multitude  of  criminals  blaspheming  the  holy  name  of  God.  I 
ask  them  why  they  utter  these  horrid  insults  and  maledictions 
against  a  God  infinitely  holy.  Their  sole  reply  is  to  point  to  the 
flames  which  consume  them.  I  understand  them  :  they  blaspheme, 
because  God  punishes  them  in  the  most  excruciating  manner.  I 
return  to  earth,  and  hear  the  same  imprecations  and  same  blas- 
phemies which  I  heard  in  hell.  Why,  I  exclaim,  do  you  dare  blas- 
pheme your  God  ?  Ah !  miserable  wretch,  why  do  you  blaspheme 
Him  ?  He  has  created  you  to  His  own  image  and  likeness ;  He 
endowed  you  with  an  immortal  soul,  capable  of  knowing,  loving  and 
serving  Him ;  He  gave  you  His  only  beloved  Son,  the  object  of  His 
complacency,  who,  through  His  love  for  you, — to  deliver  you  from 
hell  and  open  the  gates  of  heaven  for  you,  chose  to  die  on  the  cross. 
He  spares  you,  does  not  punish  you  as  you  deserve,  offers  you  for- 
giveness, provided  you  turn  from  your  evil  ways.  Such  is  the 
conduct  of  God  in  your  regard,  full  of  goodness  and  mercy ;  and, 
although  He  has  bestowed  upon  you  so  many  blessings,  yet,  ungrate- 
ful wretch  as  you  are,  like  the  reprobates  in  hell,  you  blaspheme 
His  adorable  name  !  I  tell  you,  for  it  is  the  truth,  you  resemble 
the  reprobate  during  life  ;  you  will  share  their  torments  for  eternity. 
How  can  it  be  supposed  that  God  will  admit  into  his  eternal  king- 
dom, to  sing  His  praises  with  the  saints  and  angels,  those  who, 
during  their  entire  lives,  have  done  nothing  but  curse  and  blaspheme 
His  holy  name  ?  My  Brethren,  every  one  will  go  into  his  own 
country  :  heaven  belongs  to  the  true  children  of  God,  and  hell  will 
be  the  last  home  of  blasphemers. 

If  you  do  not  wish  to  perish,  and  perish  forever,  you  who  blas- 
pheme, be  converted  from  your  evil  ways,  and  change  your  lives. 
And,  to  correct  your  habit  of  swearing  and  blaspheming,  go  to  the 
root  of  the  evil.  Whence  do  these  sins  arise  ?  From  quickness 
of  temper,  from  anger  and  passion.  Control  then  the  violence  of 
your  temper,  and  whenever  you  feel  yourselves  carried  away  by  a 
sudden  fit  of  impatience,  impose  silence  on  your  tongue  ;  and  should 
some  guilty  words  escape  your  lips,  inflict  some  penance  on  yourself; 
and  continue  to  do  so,  until  the  habit  be  entirely  eradicated.  My  dear 
Brethren,  give  some  little  charity  to  the  poor  every  time  you  have 
the  misfortune  to  curse,  or  swear,  or  blaspheme,  and  you  will  soon 
correct  yourselves  of  the  evil,  and  instead  of  blasphemy,  the  words 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

of  holy  Job  will  be  on  your  lips  :  "Blessed  be  the  name  of  the 
Lord  forever !" 

But  is  it  enough  to  destroy  this  sin  in  yourselves  ?  No ;  you 
ought  also  seek  to  destroy  it  in  all  those  over  whom  you  have  con- 
trol ;  you  must  use  all  your  authority  to  prevent  them  also  from 
insulting  God.  Are  your  children  guilty  of  it?  reprove  them 
seriously,  and  if  they  relapse,  chastise  them.  Do  your  domestics 
and  servants  blaspheme  ?  give  them  time  to  root  out  this  sinful 
habit;  but  if  you  see  that  they  make  no  improvement,  dismiss 
them,  and  rid  your  house  of  the  presence  of  those  enemies  of  God, 
who  are  a  scandal  to  you  and  your  children.  But  what  must  you 
do  when  you  hear  those  over  whom  you  have  no  control  blasphem- 
ing ?  Pray  for  them,  my  dear  Brethren,  and  from  the  bottom  of 
your  hearts  praise  God,  and  repeat  those  words  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer  :  "  Hallowed  be  Thy  name,"  0  my  God  ! 

There  is  no  crime,  says  St.  Chrysostom,  greater  than  blasphemy. 
The  tongue  of  the  blasphemer  is  a  dagger  which  pierces  the  heart 
of  God ;  a  sword,  says  St.  Bernardino  of  Sienna,  which  cuts 
it  to  pieces.  Blasphemy  is  even  a  more  grievous  crime  than 
apostasy,  says  St.  Jerome.  They  who  blaspheme  God  in  His 
glory,  cries  out  St.  Augustine,  sin  more  grievously  than  they  who 
crucified  Him  on  earth. 

My  Brethren,  fly  this  detestable  sin,  which  is  so  injurious  to  the 
awful  majesty  of  God.  Employ  with  the  utmost  care  all  the  means 
necessary  to  preserve  yourselves  from  it,  as  well  as  from  profane 
oaths,  which,  though  less  criminal  than  blasphemy,  still  insult  the 
holy  name  of  God,  which  angels  and  men  should  never  speak  of 
but  to  adore.  Fly,  oh,  fly  the  occasions  of  this  sin,  anger,  drunken- 
ness, and  the  company  of  those  who  commit  it.  Every  morning, 
make  a  sincere  and  firm  resolution  not  to  curse  or  blaspheme  that 
day.  Impose  upon  yourselves  some  penance  every  time  you  have 
the  misfortune  to  fall  into  these  crimes  :  for  example,  instantly  beg 
pardon  of  God,  give  some  alms  to  the  poor,  recite  some  prayer, 
practice  some  mortification.  Beg  of  God  every  day  to  grant  you 
the  grace  to  make  a  holy  use  of  your  tongue,  and  say  to  him  :  Lord, 
may  my  tongue  cleave  to  my  mouth,  rather  than  that  I  should  make 
use  of  it  to  offend  Thee,  to  insult  Thy  holy  name !  Thou  hast  given 
it  to  me  to  glorify  Thee,  and  may  I  never  employ  it  but  for  this 


SANCTIFIC  ATION    OF    THE    LORD^S    DAY.  223 

end,  so  that  having  blessed  Thy  adorable  name,  and  sung  Thy 
praises  on  earth,  I  may  have  the  happiness  to  see,  to  praise  and  to 
bless  Thee  for  ever  in  heaven. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XLV. 

THIRD  COMMANDMENT. 

SANCTIFICATION  OF  THE  LORD'S  DAY 


"Remember  that  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day." — EXODUS,  xx :   8. 

THE  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  instructed  and  guided  in  all  she  does 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  good  reasons  has  judged  it  proper  to  conse- 
crate to  God  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  we  call  Sunday,  or 
the  Lord's  day,  instead  of  the  Sabbath,  or  last  day  of  the  week, 
which  the  old  law  appointed  to  be  sanctified.  It  was  on  Sunday 
that  God  commenced  to  create  the  world ;  it  was  on  Sunday  that 
Jesus  Christ  came  forth  glorious  from  the  tomb,  and  opened  for  us 
the  way  to  eternal  life  by  his  resurrection  ;  it  was  on  Sunday  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon  the  Apostles,  and  on  Sunday  that 
they  began  to  preach  the  Gospel.  Such,  my  Brethren,  are  the  great 
mysteries  which  took  place  on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  To  pre- 
serve the  memory  of  them,  the  Apostles  transferred  to  Sunday  the 
observance  of  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  and  appointed  the  first  day  of 
the  week  to  be  the  day  of  rest.  We  ought  then  to  spend  this  day 
piously,  in  a  way  pleasing  to  Go'd,  abstaining  from  every  thing  for- 
bidden by  Him,  and  executing  every  thing  which  He  prescribes. 
To-day  then,  I  will  speak  to  you  on  what  we  are  forbidden  to  do 
on  the  Sunday. 

What  does  the  Third  Commandment  of  God  forbid  ?  "Remem- 
ber that  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day."  On  Sundays  and  festi- 
vals of  precept,  we  ought  to  abstain  from  all  servile  works.  Not 
that  these  works  are  bad  in  themselves,  or  unworthy  of  Christians, 


SHORT     SERMONS. 

but  they  prevent  us  from  applying  ourselves  to  the  worship  of  God, 
and  from  those  works  of  piety,  in  which  these  days  ought  to  be 
wholly  employed.  But  what  is  meant  by  servile  works?  By 
servile  works,  we  mean  all  exercise  of  the  functions  of  any  trade 
or  business  wherein  the  body  works  more  than  the  mind,  whether 
with  a  view  to  salary  and  payment,  or  only  for  pleasure,  without 
intending  to  derive  any  emolument  from  them,  as  a  man  might  do 
who  would  employ  his  time  in  slight  mechanical  works,  merely 
for  his  own  amusement.  These  things  can  not  be  lawfully  done  on 
Sundays  and  holy  days  of  obligation,  because  they  require  external 
labor,  wherein  the  body  works  more  than  the  mind. 

Nevertheless,  my  Brethren,  God,  full  of  goodness  for  his  children, 
and  compassionating  their  wants,  permits  them  to  work  on  Sundays 
when  they  are  urged  thereto  by  piety  or  charity,  or  when  they  are 
obliged  to  do  so  through  necessity.  Public  necessity  authorizes 
labor  on  holy  days  :  this  necessity  excuses  mail  carriers,  messengers, 
sailors,  and  all  others  employed  in  the  public  service.  The  urgent 
necessity  of  your  neighbor  is  a  legitimate  cause  for  laboring  on  holy 
days :  thus,  you  can  contribute  on  Sundays  to  save  your  neighbor's 
property  if  it  is  in  clanger  of  destruction ;  you  can  go  to  the  assistance 
of  the  sick  and  the  poor.  Sometimes  also,  your  own  necessity  will 
render  it. lawful  for  you  to  labor  on  the  Lord's  day;  but  to  avoid 
sin  herein,  these  conditions  are  required :  first,  that  the  necessity  be 
a  real,  urgent,  and  admitted  by  persons  of  prudence  and  judgment : 
secondly,  that  you  obtain  permission  from  your  ecclesiastical  su- 
perior ;  for  it  belongs  to  ecclesiastical  superiors  to  govern  the  people 
in  all  spiritual  things,  and  consequently  it  is  for  them  to  judge 
whether  the  necessity  be  then  true,  legitimate,  and  sufficient  to 
dispense  with  the  obligation  of  the  precept.  You  must  not  how- 
ever forget  that  when  you  are  permitted  to  work  on  those  days,  you 
are  not  hereby  dispensed  from  faring  Mass,  or  from  attending  to  the 
other  exercises  of  piety,  which  it  is  in  your  power  to  practice.  It 
is  our  bounden  duty  to  sanctify  the  Sunday:  to  reconcile  this  duty 
with  your  occupations,  if  you  are  compelled  by  necessity  to  work, 
convert  your  work  into  a  means  of  sanctifying  this  holy  clay  ;  more 
frequently  recall  to  mind  the  presence  of  God ;  offer  Him  your 
trouble  and  fatigue,  and  accept  them  in  the  spirit  of  penance  ;  work 
no  more  than  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  so  dispose  of  the  rest  of 


3ANCTIFIC  ATION    OP    THE    LOKD?S    DAY.  225 

the  day  that  you  may  employ  it  in  religious  exercises  and  pious 
works,  so  that  your  conscience  will  bear  you  this  testimony,  that 
you  have  done  all  that  was  in  your  power  to  fulfill  the  command- 
ment of  God. 

But,  my  Brethren,  beware  that  cupidity  and  an  immoderate 
desire  of  acquiring  money  do  not  induce  you  to  regard  as  neces- 
sary, works  which  are  neither  lawful  nor  excusable,  and  which 
may  easily  be  deferred  to  another  day.  Do  not  suppose  that 
you  will  derive  any  real  profit  from  servile  works,  which,  under- 
taken without  necessity,  desecrate  the  Lord's  day;  such  as  these 
never  will  profit  you ;  God  does  not  bless  them ;  on  the  con- 
trary, you  must  expect  from  Him  to  be  chastised  for  them,  since 
by  thus  dishonoring  your  religion,  you  give  occasion  for  the  sneers 
and  impieties  of  the  blasphemer.  How  can  you  suppose  that 
the  Lord  will  bless  works  which  He  prohibits  and  condemns? 
Should  you  not  rather  believe  that  He  will  curse  them,  and  cause 
to  melt  in  your  hands  the  sinful  profits  which  you  derived  from 
them.  But  you  tell  me  that  you  do  prosper :  you  are  then  much 
more  to  be  pitied,  for  the  Almighty  is  preparing  for  you  punish- 
ments infinitely  more  terrible  in  the  world  to  come.  These  trans- 
gressions will  not  remain  unpunished ;  "  His  wrath  shall  come  on  a 
sudden,  and  in  the  time  of  vengeance  He  will  destroy  thee."*  "  The 
day  of  reckoning  will  surely  come,  and  unless  you  do  penance,  you 
shall  perish."  O  man  !  0  child  of  God !  Work  during  six  days, 
as  your  heavenly  Father  hath  done,  with  the  same  holiness,  and 
like  Him  rest  on  the  seventh.  The  six  days  of  labor  are  the  image 
of  your  life,  the  seventh  day  is  the  image  of  your  eternity  :  here 
pain,  there  rest ;  here  momentary  trouble,  there  eternal  repose.  Ah  ! 
surely  the  least  we  can  do,  is  to  employ  exclusively  one  day  of  the 
week  in  the  great,  the  only  important  affair  for  which  we  came  into 
this  world  !  What  doth  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world 
and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  Think  well  on  it,  my  Brethren.  "  If  God 
has  ordered  Christians,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "to  rest  on  Sundays, 
and  to  leave  off  their  temporal  affairs  on  this  holy  day,  that  they 
may  devote  themselves  to  Him,  and  more  easily  apply  themselves 
to  divine  things,  according  to  these  words :  '  take  time  and  consider 

*  Ecclesiasticus,  v  :  9. 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

that  I  am  God ;'  they  who  labor  and  occupy  themselves  in  works 
which  God  forbids,  despising  His  exhortation,  have  great  reason 
to  fear  that  He  should  say  to  them  :  '  I  know  thee  not,'  and  that  they 
will  be  rejected  by  him,  because  they  neglected  to  seek  Him  when 
they  had  it  in  their  power  to  do  so."  "Blessed  is  the  man,"  says 
the  prophet  Isaias,  "that  doeth  this;  that  keepeth  the  Sabbath 
from  profaning  it,  that  keepeth  his  hands  from  doing  any  evil."* 

There  are  two  kinds  of  servile  works  from  which  we  ought  to 
abstain.  Some  are  innocent  or  indifferent,  and  others  are  criminal. 
The  former  are  bodily  works,  and  the  exercise  of  toilsome  and 
laborious  trades  whose  only  end  is  temporal  gain ;  the  latter  are 
sins,  and  all  such  actions  as  are  hardly  ever  done  without  sin :  these  \ 
are  truly  servile  works,  for  he  who  commits  them,  becomes  the  slave 
of  sin ;  these  are  truly  servile  works,  and  their  twofold  wages  are 
death  and  hell.  If  Christians  offend  God  by  laboring  at  corporal 
works  without  necessity,  on  Sundays  or  holy  days,  they  become 
still  more  guilty  when  they  spend  these  days  in  sin  ;  not  that  it  is 
allowed  to  sin  on  other  days,  but  because  sin  is  especially  opposed  to 
the  sanctification  of  the  Sunday.  Man  is,  in  truth,  much  more 
particularly  bound  to  honor  and  adore  the  Lord  on  Sundays 
than  on  week  days.  Yet  what  has  been  established  by  God  to 
nourish  piety,  says  Tertullian,  becomes  an  occasion  of  sin,  and  the 
Lord's  day  becomes  the  devil's  day,  by  the  sins  wherewith  it  is 
profaned.  In  country  places,  where  the  Almighty  unceasingly 
furnishes  proofs  of  His  almighty  power  and  goodness,  men  spend 
the  week  days  in  comparative  innocence ;  but,  alas  !  the  Sunday  is 
too  often  given  over  to  crime  and  debauchery.  What  other  day  are 
drinking  saloons  more  frequented  ?  on  what  other  day  are  greater 
excesses  committed?  What  day  of  the  week  is  there  more  evil 
speaking,  more  calumnies,  quarrels  and  blasphemies  ?  What  other 
day  do  people  abandon  themselves  more  to  impurity,  lascivious 
dances,  wicked  plays,  immodest  discourses  and  songs,  and  other 
things  which  I  would  not  dare  to  mention,  "Alas!"  exclaims  St. 
Augustine,  "  it  would  be  better  for  us  were  there  no  Sundays,  and 
that  every  day  were  working  days,  than  to  see  the  Sundays  so  awfully 
prostituted  to  sin,  to  see  Christians  on  those  holy  days  give  them- 

*  Istiias,  Ivi :  2. 


S  ANCTIFIC  ATIO  N    OF    THE    LORD5S    DAY.          227 

selves  up,  body  and  soul,  to  every  species  of  libertinism  and 
licentiousness."  Oh!  how  great  must  be  the  guilt  of  those  who 
abandon  themselves  to  sin  on  the  very  days  which  they  ought  to 
devote  entirely  to  God ;  which  they  ought  to  spend  wholly  in  His 
worship,  in  thanksgiving  for  His  benefits,  and  in  advancing  their 
sanctification  and  salvation  ! 

My  Brethren,  let  us  take  the  firm  resolution  to-day,  henceforth  to 
spend  the  Sundays  as  God  commands  and  our  salvation  requires. 
Let  us  resolve,  not  only  to  abstain  during  these  holy  days  from  every 
servile,  every  forbidden  work,  but  above  all,  from  sin  and  from 
every  thing  that  may  lead  us  to  sin.  Yes,  let  us  take  this  good  reso- 
lution, so  that  the  Sundays,  which  God  requires  us  to  make  days 
of  salvation,  may  not  become  for  us  days  of  perdition.  No  doubt, 
all  amusement  is  not  prohibited  on  this  day,  but  only  such  amuse- 
ment is  allowed  as  will  not  injure  innocence, — moderate  amusement, 
taken  with  restraint.  We  should  never  forget  that  Sundays  are  not 
days  of  pleasure,  destined  to  be  employed  in  profane  and  dangerous 
pastimes,  but  days  consecrated  to  the  pure  and  holy  joy  of  the 
children  of  God  ;  that  he  who  commits  sin  on  these  days,  makes 
them  feasts  of  the  devil  and  not  feasts  of  Jesus  Christ.  Adopt  the 
salutary  custom  of  often  thinking  of  God,  of  your  soul,  of  eternity 
and  salvation ;  you  will  soon  find  that,  when  Sunday  comes,  your 
hearts  will  be  naturally  inclined  to  religious  exercises ;  they  will 
become  easy  to  you ;  you  will  delight  to  assist  at  all  the  public 
devotions  in  your  church,  at  high  Mass,  Vespers,  and  the  different 
instructions  given  on  that  day.  They  will  be  to  you  a  source  of 
happiness  and  of  consolation,  such  as  true  Christian  souls  experi- 
ence ;  those  real  consolations  which  far  surpass  the  false  joys  of  this 
world.  And  thus  having  faithfully  served  your  Lord  on  earth,  and 
kept  holy  the  day  of  rest,  you  will  one  day  enter  into  the  eternal 
rest  which  He  has  prepared  for  you  in  heaven. — AMEN. 


228  SHORT    SEBMONS. 

SERMON  XLYI. 

THIRD  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

SANCTIFICATION  OF  THE  LORD'S  DAY. 

(CONTINUED.) 


"  Remember  that  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day." — EXODUS,  xx :  8. 

THE  third  precept  of  the  Decalogue  forbids  us  to  perform  on 
Sundays  servile  or  corporal  works,  that  is,  works  in  the  performance 
of  which  the  body  has  a  greater  share  than  the  mind,  and  which 
tend  directly  to  the  advantage  of  the  body.  But  to  sanctify  the 
Sunday,  is  it  enough  to  obstain  from  all  labor  ?  No  ;  for  this  holy 
day  ought  not  to  be  a  time  of  fruitless  rest  like  that  of  the  tomb,  the 
body  ought  to  rest  only  to  increase  the  activity  of  the  soul.  What 
then  must  we  do  to  satisfy  this  precept?  "Remember  that  thou 
keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day."  The  answer  to  this  question  will 
furnish  the  matter  for  the  present  instruction. 

The  rest  of  the  Sunday  is  a  holy  rest.  It  was  established  to 
recall  to  our  minds  the  repose  of  God  after  the  work  of  creation 
was  accomplished,  the  repose  of  Jesus  Christ  after  His  resurrection 
and  entrance  into  His  glory,  and  the  eternal  repose  which  we  all 
one  day  hope  to  enjoy  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  You  can  realize 
these  views  only  by  employing  the  quiet  repose  of  the  Sunday 
in  the  service  of  God.  The  Sunday  belongs  to  God :  every  thing 
then  on  this  day  should  be  holy  and  religious.  It  should  be  devoted 
to  works  of  piety  which  would  attach  us  to  God,  and  draw  tighter 
the  links  which  bind  us  to  our  heavenly  Father.  We  see  this 
admirably  exemplified  in  the  lives  of  the  primitive  Christians,  our 
best  models  in  the  practice  of  duty. 

On  Sundays  they  arose  from  their  beds  at  midnight,  and  went  to 
the  place  consecrated  to  the  Lord,  to  chant  therein  His  psalms  and 
canticles.  After  the  midnight  office  some  retired  to  give  a  little 


repose  to  their  limbs,  still  fatigued  from  the  labors  of  the  week, 
while  others  remained  in  the  house  of  God  and  prayed  or  sang  the 
divine  praises,  or  devoted  themselves  to  deep  and  holy  meditation 
until  the  hour  for  the  morning  office.  Then  the  fathers  and  mothers 
accompanied  by  their  servants  and  children,  came  in  crowds  to  the 
church.  With  holy  eagerness  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  they 
pressed  round  the  sacred  pulpit,  and  received  with  joy  and  delight 
the  wise  counsels  imparted  to  them  by  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 
With  what  fervor  they  prayed,  with  what  recollection  they  adored, 
and  how  humbly  they  supplicated  the  Lord,  while  the  bishop  offered 
to  God  the  adorable  victim  !  All  partook  of  the  immaculate  Lamb, 
immolated  for  the  sins  of  men ;  all  received  into  their  hearts  this 
heavenly  food, — the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus.  The  time  which 
passed  between  the  morning  and  the  evening  office,  they  devoted  to 
pious  reading,  or  they  went  around  visiting  the  sick  and  pouring 
the  balm  of  consolation  into  the  souls  of  their  afflicted  brethren. 
Such,  my  Brethren,  was  the  manner  in  which  the  first  Christians 
spent  the  Sundays.  Oh  !  let  us  have  the  courage  to  imitate  them, 
and  let  us  on  the  Lord's  day,  like  them,  relish  not  the  things  of 
earth  but  those  of  heaven.  Did  not  the  Spirit  of  God  address  us  as 
well  as  them,  when  He  said  :  "Observe  the  day  of  the  Sabbath,  to 
sanctify  it,  as  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  commanded  thee."* 

Yes,  we  ought  to  sanctify  the  Lord's  day,  and  spend  it  in  the 
performance  of  works  of  piety  and  religion.  Convinced  of  the 
existence  of  this  important  obligation,  the  Church  comes  to  us  and 
points  out  for  us  the  path  we  must  follow.  She  tells  us  the  works 
we  have  to  perform,  and  the  practices  we  should  adopt ;  on  Sundays 
and  holy  days,  she  multiplies  the  means  of  salvation,  and  in  a 
manner  compels  us  to  make  use  of  them.  She  summons  us  to  the 
house  of  God,  and  commands  us,  under  pain  of  mortal  sin,  to  assist 
at  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  Blessed  be  the  Church  which 
imposed  upon  us  this  commandment !  Never  did  she  show  herself 
in  our  regard  more  vigilant,  more  tender,  more  maternal.  For 
the  Mass  being  the  holiest  act  of  religion,  is  therefore  the  best  and 
most  proper  means  we  have  of  honoring  God,  and  drawing  down 
upon  ourselves  His  blessings  and  graces. 

*  Deuteronomy,  v  :  12. 


230  SHORT    SERMONS. 

What  shall  I  say  to  you,  my  Brethren,  of  this  august  sacrifice  ? 
Let  it  be  sufficient  for  us  to  know  that  the  Mass  is  the  continuation 
of  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross.  It  is  the  same  priest  who  offers  and 
the  same  victim  which  is  offered  in  it.  The  Mass  is  therefore  the 
holiest,  most  divine  and  most  grateful  work  that  can  be  offered  to 
God  ;  the  one  which  can  most  effectually  disarm  His  divine  ven- 
geance, procure  the  most  abundant  graces  for  us  poor  sinners,  and 
obtain  the  greatest  relief  for  the  souls  of  our  suffering  brethren 
in  purgatory  ;  while  at  the  same  time  it  is  the  fittest  testimony  of 
our  gratitude  to  God  for  the  blessings  He  has  condescended  to  bestow 
on  us.  Yes,  the  Mass,  being  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross  renewed  in 
an  unbloody  manner,  is  of  infinite  value  in  the  sight  of  God. 

But  to  profit  by  the  holy  and  abundant  efficacy  of  this  great 
sacrifice,  you  must  assist  at  Mass  with  respect,  attention  and 
devotion,  as  I  shall  explain  to  you  more  at  length  when  I  come  to 
speak  of  the  precepts  of  the  Church.  To  sanctify  your  souls  on 
Sundays,  you  should  be  present  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
the  sacrifice.  You  are  dispensed  from  this  obligation  only  in  case 
of  physical  impossibility,  as  for  instance,  if  you  be  sick ;  or  in  case 
of  moral  impossibility ;  for  example,  if  a  serious  loss,  or  great 
spiritual  or  temporal  inconvenience  would  thereby  result  to  yourself 
or  others. 

On  the  Lord's  day,  you  ought  to  labor  for  the  sanctification  of 
your  souls  by  being  careful  to  hear  the  word  of  God.  God  wishes 
you  to  do  so,  and  the  Church  commands  it.  The  Church  obliges 
her  ministers  to  explain  to  you  the  divine  word,  and  enjoins  upon 
you  to  hear  it,  because  it  is  this  word  which  converts  souls  and 
conducts  them  to  God.  This  divine  word  is  necessary  for  all,  great 
and  small,  rich  and  poor,  young  and  old,  learned  and  unlearned. 
It  is  necessary  for  you,  that  you  may  be  instructed  in  the  doctrine 
of  God, — and  more  especially  for  such  as  are  ignorant  of  the  truths 
of  eternal  salvation.  And  alas !  how  many  there  are  even  of  those 
advanced  in  years,  nay  even  among  the  wise  ones  of  the  day,  who 
do  not  know  the  first  rudiments  of  religion !  They  can  not  be 
saved  if  they  voluntarily  remain  in  this  culpable  ignorance;  let 
them  therefore  hear  the  word  of  God, — it  is  necessary  for  them.  It 
is  also  necessary  for  those  who  are  instructed,  to  hear  it  continually, 
lest  they  forget  it.  It  is,  in  a  word,  necessary  for  us  all,  for  it 


S  ANCTIFICATION    OF    THE    LORD5S    DAY.  231 

excites  and  animates  us  in  the  practice  of  good  works,  supports  and 
strengthens  us  in  the  ways  of  the  commandments,  renders  vice 
odious  to  us,  and  leads  us  to  avoid  sin  as  the  greatest  of  evils.  We 
should  delight  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  for  Jesus  Christ  has  said : 
"He  that  is  of  God,  heareth  the  words  of  God;"*  and  you  are 
not  of  God,  if  you  dislike  sermons,  if  you  avoid  them,  or  listen 
to  them  only  with  reluctance.  The  true  Christian  loves  and  seeks 
after  the  word  of  God ;  he  esteems  it  as  the  food  of  his  soul ;  he 
knows  that  his  divine  Saviour  has  said :  "  Man  liveth  not  hy  bread 
alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God."f 
But  you  must  not  imagine  that  you  have  done  enough  to  keep 
the  day  holy  and  sanctify  your  souls,  when  you  assist  at  Mass  and 
hear  the  sermon  :  no,  all  that  does  not  occupy  more  than  an  hour  of 
the  day,  while  we  are  to  keep  the  entire  day  holy.  Obedient  then  to 
the  voice  of  the  Church,  come  also  to  Vespers,  to  hear  the  praises  of 
God  sung,  and  to  implore  anew  the  blessing  of  this  God  of  good- 
ness. But  when  Vespers  are  over  there  are  yet  many  hours  at  your 
disposal ;  how  ought  you  to  employ  them  ?  Fathers  and  mothers, 
the  Lord  answers  you  :  "Teach  your  children"  the  laws  of  God, 
"that  they  may  meditate  on  them,  when  thou  sittest  in  thy  house, 
and  when  thou  walkest  on  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest  down, 
and  risest  up."J  Introduce  into  your  families  the  pious  custom  of 
reading  some  good  books  on  Sundays,  you  can  not  spend  your  time 
more  usefully :  for  the  reading  of  good  books  will  excite  pious 
thoughts  in  your  soul,  and  inspire  your  hearts  with  good  resolutions, 
which  will  powerfully  contribute  to  your  salvation.  Make  on  every 
Sunday  a  short  review  of  the  week ;  examine  the  faults  which  you 
have  committed;  hate  and  detest  them;  form  the  resolution  of 
shunning  them  and  of  leading  a  more  Christian  life  ;  beg  the  assist- 
ance of  God  to  do  so.  To  merit  this  grace,  if  you  know  of  any 
sick  persons  in  your  neighborhood,  visit  and  console  them ;  or  if 
you  know  of  any  poor  old  men  or  women  needing  your  assistance, 
relieve  and  encourage  them.  "Religion,  pure  and  unspotted  with 
God  and  the  Father  is  this,"  says  the  Apostle  St.  James,  "To 
visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  tribulation,  and  to  keep 
one's  self  undefiled  from  this  world."§  It  is  not  in  your  power,  like 

*  St.  John,  viii :  47.      f  St.  Matt,  iv  :  4.      J  Deut,  xii :  19.      $  St.  James,  i :  27. 


232  SHORT   SERMONS  . 

your  divine  Lord,  to  cure  all  their  evils,  but  it  is  precious  in  the 
sight  of  God,  and  profitable  to  your  own  souls  to  console  them,  to 
fortify  them,  and  excite  them  to  that  holy  patience  "  which  worketh 
salvation." 

After  that  you  may  permit  yourselves  some  relaxation,  for  all 
amusement  is  not  forbidden  on  the  Lord's  day.  But  still  be  mind- 
ful of  the  presence  of  God :  keep  yourselves  all  the  time  within  the 
bounds  of  modesty  and  temperance :  avoid  all  assemblies  and  per- 
sons dangerous  to  your  souls,  remembering  that  Sunday  is  a  day 
consecrated  to  the  pure  and  holy  joy  of  the  children  of  God,  and 
not  to  sinful  pleasures  and  dangerous  amusements;  remembering 
also  that  this  day,  being  sanctified  according  to  the  divine  will  and 
the  rules  laid  down  by  the  Church,  will  contribute  to  your  salvation, 
and  conduct  you  to  heaven. — > 


SERMON  XLYII. 

FOURTH  COMMANDMENT. 

DUTIES  OF  CHILDREN  TO   THEIR   PARENTS. 


"  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thou  mayest  be  long-lived  upon  the 
land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  will  give  thee." — EXODUS,  xx :  12. 

WE  have  duties  to  fulfill  to  God  and  duties  to  our  neighbor.  The 
three  commandments  which  we  have  already  explained,  regulate  all 
our  duties  and  obligations  to  God  :  hence  they  were  written  on  the 
first  table  of  the  Decalogue.  The  precepts  which  the  hand  of  God  en- 
graved upon  the  second  table,  have  for  their  object  our  duties  toward 
our  neighbor.  Our  first  and  principal  neighbors,  my  Brethren,  are 
our  fathers  and  mothers  :  it  was  for  this  reason  that  the  Lord  wished 
that  the  first  precept  of  the  second  table  of  His  law  should  be  that 
which  pointed  out  to  children  the  duties  they  had  to  fulfill  toward 
their  parents.  It  is  of  these  important  obligations  that  I  intend  to 
speak  to  you  to-day. 


DUTIES    OF    CHILDREN.  233 

"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thou  mayest  be  long- 
lived."  Such,  my  Brethren,  is  the  Fourth  Commandment  of  the 
law  of  the  Lord.  By  this  precept,  God  imposes  upon  you  four 
principal  duties  with  regard  to  your  fathers  and  mothers.  He 
requires  that  you  should  respect  them,  love  them,  obey  them,  and 
assist  them  in  their  wants.  My  Children,  your  first  duty  to  your 
parents  is  to  respect  them.  Hear  what  the  Lord  says  :  "  Cursed  be 
he  that  honoreth  not  his  father  and  mother ;  and  the  people  shall 
say :  Amen.*  Let  every  one  fear  his  father,  and  his  mother. f  He 
that  curseth  his  father  and  mother,  his  lamp  shall  be  put  out  in  the 
midst  of  darkness.  The  inheritance  gotten  hastily  in  the  beginning, 
in  the  end  shall  be  without  a  blessing.  "J 

Why,  my  Children,  do  you  owe  this  profound  respect  to  your 
parents  ?  Because  your  fathers  and  mothers,  although  mortal 
beings,  are  in  your  regard  the  image  of  God  himself,  the  image  of 
His  majesty,  His  authority,  His  power,  His  goodness ;  and  are 
therefore  to  be  looked  upon  by  you  as  sacred  objects.  They  are 
the  image  of  the  almighty  power  that  created  heaven  and  earth : 
for  in  reality,  it  is  to  your  parents,  after  God,  that  you  owe  your 
life.  They  are  the  image  of  the  providence  and  goodness  of  God ; 
for  it  is  your  parents  who  nourished,  reared,  protected,  supported 
and  guided  you  ; — they  hold  in  your  regard  the  place  of  God  in 
every  thing  which  concerns  your  destiny,  your  happiness,  both  in 
this  life  and  in  the  life  to  come ;  for  you  they  labor  and  toil,  for  you 
they  spend  so  many  anxious  moments,  for  you  they  undergo  so 
many  fatigues  and  cares,  and  day  and  night  spend  themselves  for 
your  advantage.  Hence  it  was  said  to  Tobias  :  "  Hear,  my  son,  the 
words  of  my  mouth,  when  God  shall  take  my  soul,  thou  shalt  bury 
my  body  ;  and  thou  shalt  honor  thy  mother  all  the  days  of  her  life. 
For  thou  must  be  mindful  what  and  how  great  perils  she  suffered 
for  thee  in  her  womb."§ 

Children,  you  should  respect  and  honor  your  father  and  mother, 
in  mind  and  heart,  that  is  to  say,  your  respect  must  be  interior.  It 
ought  also  to  be  exterior,  manifesting  itself  by  your  actions,  your 
words,  and  by  your  humble,  obedient  and  submissive  conduct. 
Hear  with  deference,  and  humbly  submit  to  the  advice  of  your 

»  Deut.,  xxvii :  16.     f  Levit.,  xix:  3.    $  Prov.,  xx :  20.  §     Tobias,  iv :  2,  3,  4. 
20 


234  SHORT    SERMONS. 

parents,  and  receive  their  reprimands  as  you  would  receive  them 
from  the  mouth  of  God  himself.  You  become  very  guilty  in  the 
sight  of  God  when  you  make  little  of  their  remarks  or  reproofs, 
and  show  your  contempt  of  them  by  pert,  harsh,  insolent  and 
unbecoming  words,  by  violent  and  hasty  gestures,  by  sullen  silence, 
by  grumbling,  and  above  all,  by  speaking  ill  of  them,  and  revealing 
their  faults  and  defects.  "  Glory  not,"  says  the  sacred  writer,  "in 
the  dishonor  of  thy  father:  for  his  shame  is  no  glory  to  thee."* 
Hear  how  the  Lord  himself  threatens  disobedient  children:  "The 
eye  that  mocketh  at  his  father,  and  that  despiseth  the  labor  of  his 
mother  in  bearing  him,  let  the  ravens  of  the  brooks  pick  it  out,  and 
the  young  eagles  eat  it.f  He  that  curseth  his  father  or  mother, 
dying  let  him  die.J;" 

My  Children,  respect  your  father  and  mother,  no  matter  what 
may  be  their  age,  their  social  position  or  their  infirmities.  Never 
forget  the  advice  given  you  by  the  Holy  Ghost :  My  son,  receive 
with  reverence  your  father  in  his  old  age,  and  sadden  .not  his 
heart  when  he  becomes  old.  If  his  strength  is  weak,  support 
him.  Be  careful  that  you  do  not .  despise  his  weakness,  and  boast 
of  your  own  strength,  for  in  no  very  long  time  will  you  too  grow 
old  and  feeble.  Do  not  scorn  your  father  on  account  of  the 
advantage  you  possess  over  him.  God  will  reward  you  for  having 
upheld  the  tottering  steps  of  your  mother  when  pressed  down  by 
years,  of  that  mother  who  formerly  supported  the  weakness  of  your 
childhood.  And  you,  my  Children,  who  have  suddenly  passed  from 
indigence  to  wealth,  take  care  that  you  do  not  blush  at  the  poverty 
of  your  parents.  You  are  in  the  possession  of  a  fortune,  but  your 
parents  are  poor.  Will  you  then  despise  them  ?  Remember  thy 
father  and  thy  mother,  when  thou  sittest  among  great  men,  and 
do  not  forget  the  persons  who  brought  thee  into  the  world,  lest  God 
forget  thee  in  their  sight.  A  little  gold  and  silver,  a  little  shining 
dust,  acquired  perhaps  by  injustice  and  bad  faith,  ought  not  to  puff 
up  your  spirit,  and  make  you  contemn  your  poor  but  virtuous 
parents  :  your  parents  are  always  your  parents,  and  you  are  always 
their  flesh  and  blood.  You  should  much  rather  imitate  the  example 
of  Joseph.  God  had  raised  him  to  the  greatest  honors,  and  Pharao 

*  Ecclesiasticus,  iii :  12.  t  Proverbs,  xxx  :  17.  t  Leviticus,  xx  :  9. 


DUTIES    OF    CHILDREN.  235 

had  invested  him  with  sovereign  power  over  all  Egypt ;  yet  Jostph 
received  his  father  Jacob  with  the  greatest  marks  of  respect  and 
honor.  Alas  !  how  many  proud  and  silly  children  will  this  beauti- 
ful example  one  day  condemn  before  God !  In  very  truth,  how 
many  children  there  are,  who  treat  their  parents  with  scorn  and 
contempt,  who  mock,  sneer  and  jest  at  them,  and  dare  to  speak 
to  them  with  disdain,  with  haughtiness  and  arrogance  !  How 
many  who  even  injure  and  insult  them !  They  who  ought  to  be 
respected, — who  ought  to  command  in  their  houses,  are  now-a-days 
the  very  persons  who  must  not  presume  to  offer  a  word  of  counsel 
or  reproof,  for  they  will  not  be  heard  or  regarded  !  They  tremble 
in  presence  of  those  who  should  tremble  before  them  !  A  disorder 
equally  repugnant  to  reason,  to  justice,  to  nature  and  to  religion. 
Ah !  my  children,  be  very  cautious  that  you  never  act  thus  toward 
the  authors  of  your  being;  for  if  you  do,  the  curse  of  God  will 
sooner  or  later  overtake  you.  Obey  the  law  of  the  Lord,  be  filled 
with  a  holy  respect  and  veneration  for  your  parents,  love  them,  and 
God  will  love  you. 

The  Lord  God  commands  us  to  love  one  another:  "love  one 
another,"  says  He,  "  this  is  my  commandment,  that  you  love  one 
another,  as  I  have  loved  you."  And  this  obligation  He  extends 
even  to  the  persons  of  our  enemies ;  He  commands  us  to  love  even 
those  who  hate  and  persecute  us.  Far  more  then  should  we  love 
our  fathers  and  our  mothers,  who  are  much  nearer  and  dearer  to 
us  than  the  rest  of  mankind.  After  God  and  His  holy  law,  it  is 
your  father  and  mother  whom  you  ought  to  love  the  most ;  such  is 
the  dictate  of  religion, — such  also  is  the  voice  of  gratitude. 

At  the  risk  of  repetition,  I  can  not  resist  the  pleasure  of  recall- 
ing to  your  minds  those  beautiful  words  of  the -Holy  Ghost  and  of 
St.  Ambrose:  "  0  my  son,  what  do  you  not  owe  to  your  mother, 
who  has  given  you  birth  ?  She  carried  you  in  her  womb,  amid  a 
thousand  dangers,  in  weariness,  weakness,  sickness,  and  through 
the  perilous  risks  of  a  painful  pregnancy.  When  her  time  was 
accomplished  she  brought  forth  the  fruit  of  her  womb,  only  through 
excessive  pain  and  at  the  peril  of  her  life.  When  she  held  in 
her  arms  the  object  of  her  desires,  she  was  free  indeed  from  the 
pains  of  childbirth,  but  she  was  not  exempt  from  the  mother's 
fears.  How  many  cares,  how  many  painful  and  disagreeable 


236  SHORT    SERMONS. 

services,  how  many  privations,  liow  many  sacrifices  of  her  own 
convenience,  how  many  anxious  watchings  had  she  not  still  to 
endure  !  How  many  fond  caresses  did  she  not  lavish  on  you,  how 
eager  was  she  at  all  times  to  promote  your  happiness  !  After  all 
this,  what  are  you,  and  what  must  he  thought  of  you,  if  you  do 
not  love  your  mother?" 

And  your  industrious  father, — see  how  he  concerns  himself, — 
exerts  himself,  and  toils  for  you.  Daily  does  he  water  the  earth 
with  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  or  expose  himself  to  all  the  inclemency 
of  the  season.  He  goes  forth  from  his  home, — he  returns  to  it,— - 
he  is  always  in  action :  he  fears  no  trouble, — no  suffering, — no 
danger  :  he  exhausts,  wears  himself  out :  and  for  whom  ?  for  you, — 
to  procure  your  happiness, — to  enable  you  to  live  in  ease  and  comfort 
on  the  substance  he  will  have  amassed.  If  after  all  this,  you  love 
not  your  father,  what  opinion  should  be  formed  of  you?  There 
never  was  a  nation  which  did  not  regard  as  a  monster  the  child  that 
is  wanting  in  love  to  its  parents. 

Love  your  father  and  your  mother,  and  love  them  dearly.  As 
long  as  your  love  for  your  parents  is  not  contrary,  nor  superior,  nor 
equal  to  that  which  you  should  have  for  God, — it  can  not  be  too 
tender, — too  affectionate.  Your  whole  heart  and  soul  ought  to  be 
on  fire  with  love  toward  them.  Every  thing  in  you  should  be 
characterized  by  this  love  :  it  should  make  your  manners  amiable, 
your  air  gracious,  your  words  kind,  your  actions  affectionate,  your 
endurance  of  their  defects  patient,  your  good  wishes  ardent,  and 
your  prayers  fervent :  such  ought  always  to  be  your  conduct  toward 
your  father  and  your  mother.  At  the  same  time,  I  must  tell  you, 
my  dear  Children,  that  to  make  it  Christian, — agreeable  to  God 
and  profitable  to  your  own  souls, — the  love  you  bear  your  parents 
should  be  animated  by  a  supernatural  principle ; — that  is,  you  ought 
to  love  them  for  God,  and  because  God  commands  you  to  do  so. 

Here  then  are  the  two  first  duties  which  children  have  to  fulfill 
toward  their  parents.  They  must  love  and  they  must  respect  them. 
In  our  next  instruction,  we  will  speak  of  the  obedience  and  assist- 
ance they  owe  them,  both  in  their  necessities  during  life  and  when 
their  eyes  will  be  closed  in  death. 

My  dear  Children,  who  among  you  does  not  desire  that  the  Lord 
would  open  His  beneficent  hand  and  shower  down  upon  you  His 


DUTIES    OF    CHILDREN.  237 

graces  and  blessings  ?  You  render  yourselves  most  agreeable  to  trie 
Almighty, — most  deserving  of  His  favors,  if,  after  the  example  of 
Jesus  and  his  saints,  you  honor,  respect  and  love  your  good  parents. 
This  is  the  first  commandment  to  the  observance  of  which  the 
Lord  has  attached  a  special  recompense.  This  recompense,  dear 
Children,  is  a  long  and  happy  life, — a  life  replete  with  blessings. 
"  The  child  that  has  been  the  joy  of  his  mother  and  the  consolation 
of  his  father,  will  be  loaded  with  graces  and  blessings."  Dear  Chil- 
dren, merit  by  your  conduct,  that  your  father  and  mother  should 
bless  you,  for  a  father's  blessing  is  the  source  of  much  temporal 
happiness,  and  the  forerunner  of  that  eternal  benediction  which 
God  has  in  store  for  good  children  in  the  unfading  kingdom  of 
His  glory. — AMEN. 


SERMON    XLVIII. 

FOURTH  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

DUTIES  OF  CHILDREN  TO   THEIR  PARENTS. 

(CONTINUED.) 


"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thou  mayest  be  long-lived  upon  the 
land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  will  give  thee." — EXODUS,  xx  :  12. 

IN  my  last  instruction,  I  spoke  to  you  of  the  two  first  obligations 
of  children  to  their  parents,  namely,  respect  and  love.  My  Children, 
to  accomplish  the  law  of  God,  you  must  honor  your  father  and 
mother,  for  they  are  in  your  regard  the  image  of  God,  the  image 
of  His  majesty,  authority  and  power.  You  ought  to  love  them, 
for  they  are  your  greatest  benefactors,  your  nearest  neighbors, — 
whose  love  for  you  is  most  sincere  and  most  enduring.  I  must  now 
speak  to  you  of  two  other  duties  which  you  have  to  fulfill  toward 
them,  and  those  are  obedience  and  assistance. 

"My  father,  I  will  do  whatever  you  command  me,"  said  young 


238  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Tobias  to  his  father ;  for  he  loved  the  law  of  God  which  commands 
the  child  to  obey  his  father  and  his  mother.  Obedience  is  so  neces- 
sary to  children,  that  it  ought  in  some  manner  to  constitute  the 
foundation  of  their  character.  The  Holy  Ghost  tells  us  to  avoid 
"men  disobedient  to  parents."*  Yes,  says  St.  Peter  Chryoslogus, 
avoid  them,  for  they  are  monsters  in  nature.  Thus  we  find  Almighty 
God  formerly  commanding  the  severest  punishments  to  be  inflicted 
upon  disobedient  children.  "  If  a  man  have  a  stubborn  and  unruly 
son,  who  will  not  hear  the  commandments  of  his  father  or  mother, 
and  being  corrected,  slighteth  obedience  :  They  shall  take  him,  and 
bring  him  to  the  ancients  of  his  city,  and  to  the  gate  of  judgment, 
and  shall  say  to  them :  this  our  son  is  rebellious  and  stubborn ;  he 
slighteth  hearing  our  admonitions  ;  he  giveth  himself  to  revelling, 
and  to  debauchery  and  banquetings  :  The  people  of  the  city  shall 
stone  him ;  and  he  shall  die,  that  you  may  take  away  the  evil  out 
of  the  midst  of  you,  and  all  Israel  hearing  it  may  be  afraid. "  j  To 
excite  yourselves  to  obedience,  my  Children,  call  to  mind  the  words 
of  the  Holy  Ghost:  "  Hearken  to  thy  father,  that  begot  thee  :  and 
despise  not  thy  mother  when  she  is  old."J  "  Children,  obey  your 
parents  in  the  Lord,  for  this  is  just."§  "  Children,  obey  your 
parents  in  all  things  ;  for  this  is  pleasing  to  the  Lord."||  "  Yes/' 
says  St.  Augustine,  "  duty  obliges  you  to  hear  them  as  God  him- 
self, since  it  is  God  who  commands  obedience." 

It  will  also  help  to  excite  you  to  obedience,  to  set  before  your 
eyes  the  examples  of  the  saints.  Isaac  humbly  and  unresistingly 
submits  to  the  will  of  his  father,  when  he  desiidd  to  bind  him  and 
sacrifice  him  to  God.  Joseph  made  a  long  and  tedious  journey  to 
fulfill  the  dying  request  of  Jacob,  and  transport  his  bones  to  the 
tomb  of  Abraham  and  Isaac.  But  the  great  example  on  which  you 
should  delight  to  meditate,  is  that  which  our  Saviour  furnishes  you, 
in  His  own  adorable  person.  The  divine  Word,  by  whom  all 
things  were  created, — the  Son  of  God,  chose  to  obey,  not  only  His 
heavenly  Father,  but  His  own  creatures,  Mary  and  Joseph ;  for  He 
was  subject  to  them !  After  this,  what  child  dare  disobey  his 
parents  ? 

»  2  Timothy,  iii :  2.     t  Deuteronomy,  xxi :  18, 19,  20.      $  Proverbs,  xxiii :  22. 
§  Ephfsians,  vi  :  1 .  j|  Colossians,  iii :  20. 


DUTIES    OF    CHILDREN.  239 

But  in  what  are  you  obliged  to  obey  your  parents  ?  Your 
obedience  must  be  universal.  You  ought  to  be  obedient  in  every 
thing  which  is  commanded  you,  whether  spiritual  or  temporal.  In 
temporal  matters  :  you  must  work  at  home  or  abroad, — now  or  at 
another  time, — not  as  you  wish,  or  as  seems  to  you  good,  but  accord- 
ing to  the  will  and  orders  of  your  father  and  mother.  In  spiritual 
matters,  your  are  still  more  strictly  bound  to  obey  their  commands, 
since  there  is  question  here  of  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation 
of  your  souls.  Obey  them,  therefore,  when  they  tell  you  to  avoid 
dangerous  occasions,  to  shun  the  society  of  vicious  and  corrupt 
persons.  Obey  them,  when  they  forbid  you  to  join  in  improper 
plays,  to  frequent  ball  rooms,  ale  houses  and  dances.  Obey  them, 
when  they  bid  you  discharge  your  duties  as  Christians,  when  they 
tell  you  not  to  neglect  your  night  and  morning  prayers,  to  frequent 
the  sacraments,  to  be  diligent  in  your  attendance  at  Mass,  at  Ves- 
pers, at  instructions,  and  in  the  practice  of  good  works. 

Be  obedie'it;  this  obligation  is  so  great,  that  you  can  not  be 
excused  from  mortal  sin,  if,  in  grave  and  important  matters,  you 
act  contrary  to  the  order  or  express  prohibition  of  your  parents. 
"He  is  cursed  of  God  that  angereth  his  mother."*  Let  your 
obedience  be  lively  and  prompt.  As  soon  as  the  order  is  given, 
you  should  be  ready  to  fulfill  it.  Never  murmur ;  to  murmur, 
to  comply  reluctantly  or  ungraciously,  manifests  a  spirit  of  dis- 
obedience. Your  father  or  your  mother  imposes  some  duty  on  you : 
it  is  God  who  commands  ;  go  willingly, — hasten  to  obey  them. 
Children  who  compel  their  parents  to  frequently  repeat  their 
commands,  sin  against  obedience,  and  are  the  cause  of  many  sins, 
such  as  impatience,  anger,  and  sometimes  even  cursing.  Finally, 
your  obedience  should  be  constant :  that  is  to  say,  it  must  extend 
to  every  place, — to  every  circumstance,  whether  the  thing  com- 
manded be  pleasing  or  displeasing  to  you,  whether  it  be  easy  or 
difficult ;  to  all  time,  even  after  your  parents'  death,  when  you 
exercise  obedience  by  faithfully  fulfilling  their  last  wishes. 

Dear  Children,  there  is  only  one  case  in  which  you  are  dispensed 
from  the  obligation  of  obeying  your  father  and  your  mother ;  it 
is,  if  they  were  blind  and  wicked  enough  to  command  you  to  act 

*  Ecclesiasticus,  iii :  18. 


240  SHORT    SERMONS. 

contrary  to  the  law  of  God  and  the  voice  of  conscience  :  for  example, 
if  they  ordered  you  to  labor  at  unnecessary  servile  works  on 
Sunday ;  to  attend  to  business  prohibited  on  this  holy  day ;  to 
commit  an  act  of  injustice,  of  fraud  or  revenge  ;  to  eat  meat  on 
Fridays  or  other  days  on  which  it  is  forbidden.  Then,  Christian 
Children,  remember  that  the  authority  of  your  parents  is  subordi- 
nate to  that  of  God, — "  that  it  is  better  to  obey  God  than  man." 
You  may  then  and  you  should,  resist  your  father  and  mother,  that  you 
may  obey  God ;  but  you  ought  to  do  so  discreetly  and  respectfully, 
testifying  at  the  same  time  a  sincere  disposition  to  obey  them  in 
every  thing  that  is  not  sinful.  Oh  !  yes,  in  every  thing  that  is  not 
sinful,  obey  your  fathers  and  mothers,  that  the  blessing  of  your 
parents  may  abide  with  you,  for  a  parent's  blessing  always  brings 
happiness  with  it.  To  merit  this  precious  blessing,  accomplish, 
my  Children,  and  with  the  utmost  care,  the  last  duty  which  God 
imposes  upon  you  in  respect  to  your  fathers  and  mothers, — assist 
them  in  all  their  spiritual  or  corporal  necessities. 

Should  we  not  esteem  ourselves  happy  to  be  able  to  restore  to  our 
parents  a  part  of  what  we  have  received  from  them  ?  They  reared, 
clothed,  supported  and  protected  us  in  our  infancy  ;  let  us,  in  our 
turn,  should  they  be  in  want,  relieve  their  necessities ;  let  us  provide 
them  with  food  and  clothing  suited  to  their  condition  in  life.  If 
they  be  sick  let  us  visit  them  frequently,  let  us  console  them  in  their 
sufferings,  and  procure  for  them  medicine  and  proper  nourishment. 
It  is  in. their  old  age  that  our  parents  stand  most  in  need  of  our  help 
and  assistance,  because  they  are  then  no  longer  in  a  state  to  labor 
and  gain  a  livelihood  for  themselves.  It  is,  therefore,  at  that  time 
that  you  should  redouble  your  attentions  to  them,  and  make  greater 
efforts  to  help  them.  Nevertheless,  how  many  children  are  there, 
who,  instead  of  relieving  their  parents  in  their  wants,  and  procuring 
for  them  the  help  and  assistance  which  affection,  gratitude,  nature 
and  religion  demand  of  them,  cruelly  and  shamefully  abandon  them 
in  their  old  age,  when  pressed  down  by  sickness  and  infirmities  ! 
The  sacred  names  of  father  and  mother  no  longer  touch  their  hearts  ; 
they  were  children  as  long  as  they  were  dependent  on  their  parents 
for  support ;  now  that  they  have  means  of  their  own,  they  care  no 
more  for  a  father  and  a  mother,  who  have  perhaps  no  other  resource 
than  what  they  might  naturally  have  expected  from  their  children. 


DUTIES    OF    CHILDREN.  24:1 

What  ingratitude !  what  cruelty  !  Let  them  know,  for  it  is  the 
Holy  Ghost  who  declares  it ;  "  the  mother's  curse  rooteth  up  the 
foundation  :  of  evil  fame  is  he  that  forsaketh  his  father,  and  he 
is  cursed  of  God  that  angereth  his  mother."*  Happy,  on  the  con- 
trary, thrice  happy  the  child  whose  father  and  mother,  like  the 
mother  of  young  Tobias,  can  say  :  0  my  child,  thou  art  the  light  of 
our  eyes,  the  prop  of  our  old  age,  and  the  consolation  of  our  lives  ! 
Happy  such  a  child,  for  God  "will  one  day  hear  his  prayer,  and  he 
will  be  like  a  man  who  has  heaped  up  a  treasure  ! " 

If  children  owe  to  their  fathers  and  mothers  corporal  assistance, 
how  much  more  are  they  bound  to  procure  for  them  spiritual 
succors,  especially  in  their  sickness  !  Pray  then  for  your  parents. 
According  to  circumstances  warn  them  of  their  duties,  if  you  per- 
ceive that  they  neglect  them,  but  always  with  respect,  with  prudence 
and  with  charity.  When  they  are  sick,  neglect  no  means  to  dispose 
and  prepare  them  for  a  good  and  happy  death ;  you  would  be 
grievously  wanting  in  your  duty,  if  through  your  fault  they  were 
to  pass  out  of  life  without  receiving  the  last  sacraments.  Yet  how 
many  are  there  who  let  their  fathers  and  mothers  die  without  send- 
ing for  the  priest,  or  who  call  him  when  it  is  too  late  !  They  do 
not  wish,  they  say,  to  disturb  and  agitate  their  parents  by  speaking 
to  them  of  death ;  but  their  pity  is  cruel,  their  tenderness  is  worse 
than  murder,  and  its  sad  consequence  may  perhaps  be  an  eternity 
of  torments  for  their  parents  and  for  themselves.  Discharge  these 
important  duties  for  your  parents  in  the  last  days  of  their  life, — 
gratitude  and  religion  impose  them  upon  you ;  and  even  when  God 
shall  have  called  them  to  himself,  do  not  forget  them,  pray  for 
them,  and  get  others  to  pray  for  the  repose  of  their  souls. 

The  honor  which  we  owe  to  our  parents,  comprehends  respect, 
love,  obedience,  corporal  and  spiritual  assistance.  Behold  what  God 
requires  of  children  for  their  salvation  and  for  the  happiness  of  their 
families.  My  dear  Children,  convinced  as  you  are  of  these  obli- 
gations, perform  them  well ;  nature  inspires  you  to  do  so, — God 
commands  it, — the  good  examples  furnished  by  the  sacred  Scriptures 
invites  you,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  assures  you,  that  "  he  that  honoreth 
his  father  shall  have  joy  in  his  own  children :  and  in  the  day  of 

*  Ecclcsiasticus,  iii :  11,  18. 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

his  prayer  lie  shall  be  heard :  he  that  honoreth  his  father  shall  enjoy 
a  long  life."*  You  will  be  filled  with  graces  and  blessings,  and  when 
you  yourselves  pass  out  of  life,  you  will  go  to  enjoy  the  felicity  of 
heaven, — the  long  life  of  a  glorious  immortality,  which  God  reserves 
for  His  elect,  and  which  I  wish  you  all  from  the  bottom  of  ray  heart, 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
AMEN. 


SERMON  XLIX. 

FOURTH   COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

DUTIES  OF  PARENTS. 


"And  you,  fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  anger:  but  bring  them  up  in 
the  discipline  and  correction  of  the  Lord." — EPHESIANS,  vi :  4. 

WE  have  instructed  children  in  the  duties  which  they  have  to 
fulfill  toward  their  parents.  You,  fathers  and  mothers,  have  also 
important  duties  to  perform  with  regard  to  your  children.  God 
and  the  Church  command  me  to  make  them  known  to  you,  and  I 
purpose  to  explain  them,  with  all  the  care  and  zeal  of  which  I  am 
capable.  There  are  few  persons  who  are  not  interested  in  this 
matter,  for  the  greater  number  of  those  who  hear  me  are  either  at 
present  bound  by  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony,  or  they  intend  at 
some  future  day  to  enter  into  that  responsible  state.  If  they  listen 
to  me  with  proper  attention,  they  will  learn  how  to  acquit  them- 
selves in  a  holy  manner  of  the  duties  which  God  imposes  upon 
them  toward  their  children. 

To  whom  does  the  child  belong  ?  Undoubtedly  to  his  father  and 
mother.  Upon  whom,  then,  if  not  upon  them,  does  the  obligation 
devolve  of  supporting,  clothing  and  caring  for  him,  and  of  watching 
over  his  preservation  ?  Need  we  any  other  proof  of  this,  than  the 

*  Ecclesiastious,  iii :  6,  7. 


DUTIES    OF    PARENTS.  243 

choice  God  has  made  of  you,  fathers  and  mothers,  to  bring  those 
children  into  existence  ?  Need  we  any  further  proof  of  it  than  the 
love  He  has  implanted  in  your  hearts  for  your  offspring  ?  There* 
can  be  no  doubt  of  it,  that  it  is  from  your  hands  your  children 
must  receive  their  daily  bread,  and  every  necessary  for  their  support. 
Earn  this  bread  then,  earn  it  by  the  sweat  of  your  brow,  and  by  toil 
and  labor  draw  it  from  the  earth  as  God  commands  you.  You  are 
a  father ;  work  then  with  courage  for  your  children,  be  deterred  by 
neither  trouble  nor  fatigue  from  amassing  means  for  them ;  it  is  your 
duty,  and  you  must  not  dispense  yourselves  from  discharging  it. 

But  when  the  goodness  of  God  blesses  your  labor  and  toil, — 
when  fortune  smiles  on  you,  and  riches  are  poured  into  your  hands, 
be  on  your  guard  that  avarice  do  not  enter  into  your  hearts :  be 
not  much  attached  to  these  riches.  Do  not  act  like  those  foolish 
parents,  who,  to  enrich  their  children,  even  deprive  themselves  of  the 
necessaries  of  life.  At  the  same  time,  you  must  not  risk  their 
property  by  engaging  in  wild  schemes  of  speculation,  or  in  expen- 
sive lawsuits, — still  less  should  you  squander  it  away  in  luxury  and 
debauchery,  like  so  many  unnatural  parents,  who  often  spend  in  one 
day  at  the  tavern  or  gambling-table  more  money  than  they  can  earn 
in  a  week.  You  should  not  throw  away  your  money,  neither  are 
you  allowed  to  lay  it  out  uselessly.  It  is  your  duty  to  preserve  and 
increase  it  by  wise  and  prudent  economy.  Remember  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  said :  "If  any  man  have  not  care  of  his  own,  and 
especially  of  those  of  his  house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and  is 
worse  than  an  infidel."*  Parents,  you  are  bound  to  provide  for 
your  children  food,  lodging  and  clothing,  and  to  endeavor  to 
acquire  for  them  some  property, — some  means  with  which  they  can 
begin  the  world ;  this  is  the  first  duty  which  you  have  to  fulfill  in 
their  regard. 

But  there  is  a  second  and  still  more  essential  duty,  which  God 
imposes  upon  you.  You  ought  to  form  their  young  minds  to  the 
love  and  practice  of  virtue.  You  must  take  all  possible  care  to 
impart  to  them  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  holy  and  adorable 
truths  which  the  divine  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  teaches.  But, 
perhaps,  you  have  not  time  to  instruct  them ;  perhaps,  you  do  not 

*  1  Timothy,  v  :  8. 


244  SHORT    SERMONS. 

possess  the  necessary  information  to  impart  this  valuable  knowledge 
to  your  children.  In  that  case,  hehold  your  duty,  fathers  and 
mothers, — a  sacred  duty,  which  you  should  never  fail  to  discharge. 
See  that  your  children  attend  a  good  school ;  see  that  they  go  to 
Mass  on  Sundays  and  holy  days  of  obligation,  and  that  they  attend 
Catechism  and  all  the  instructions  which  pastors  are  bound  to  give 
to  the  younger  portion  of  their  charge.  If  you  act  in  this  manner, 
your  children  will  receive  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  religion, — they 
will  know  both  the  truths  which  they  must  believe  and  the  duties 
which  they  have  to  fulfill, — and  thus  you  will  have  satisfied  this 
obligation. 

Above  all,  comport  yourselves  in  such  a  manner,  that  you  can 
say  to  your  children  what  Jesus  Christ  said  to  His  Apostles:  "I 
have  given  you  an  example,  that  as  I  have  done  to  you,  so  you  do 
also."*  Set  them  a  good  example,  both  in  your  words  and  in 
your  actions.  You  owe  to  your  children  the  example  of  justice,  of 
charity,  sobriety,  modesty,  and  fidelity  in  performing  religious  duties. 
Ah !  woe  to  you,  if  you  have  failed  in  furnishing  them  this  example ! 
Woe  to  you,  if  you  have  been  to  them  an  object  of  scandal !  Jesus 
Christ  has  said  to  all  who  scandalize  their  neighbor,  especially  chil- 
dren :  "  He  that  shall  scandalize  one  of  these  little  ones  that  believe 
in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  mill-stone  were  hanged  about 
his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea."f 
What  then  will  become  of  fathers  and  mothers  who  scandalize  their 
children?  Let  your  children,  then,  Christian  parents,  see  you  walking 
in  the  good  way  of  virtue,  and  it  will  not  be  hard  for  them  to  follow 
you.  Your  conduct  will  be  their  guide, — and  such  as  you  are,  such 
will  your  children  be  ;  if  you  are  virtuous,  they  will  be  virtuous, — 
if  you  are  wicked,  wicked  too  will  your  children  be.  It  is  a  very 
true  saying,  that  the  fruit  falls  not  far  from  the  tree.  Fathers  and 
mothers,  God  requires  that  you  should  give  good  example  to  your 
children. 

Youth  often  contracts  bad  habits.  The  child  can  easily  be  led 
into  the  practice  of  telling  lies,  of  swearing,  and  of  evil  conver- 
sations. These  are  bad  weeds,  which  you  ought  not  allow  to  cast 
their  roots  in  the  hearts  of  your  children.  If  you  seek  not  at  once  to 

*  St.  John,  xiii :  15.  t  St.  Matthew,  xviii :  5. 


DUTIES    OF    PARENTS.  245 

eradicate  them,  the  evil  will  increase,  and  very  soon  you  can  neither 
check  nor  destroy  them.  Imitate  herein  the  conduct  of  God.  He 
is  all  charity,  and  yet  this  God  of  goodness  chastises  in  this  life 
those  whom  He  loves, — He  reprehends  and  corrects  them, — He 
makes  them  expiate  their  sins,  that  they  may  he  worthy  of  the 
heavenly  kingdom  to  which  He  invites  them.  "  For  whom  the  Lord 
loveth,  He  chastiseth:  and  He  scourgeth  every  son  whom  He 
receiveth."*  These  chastisements  afflict  us  ;  but  borne  with  resig- 
nation, they  produce  in  us  fruits  of  peace,  of  salvation,  and  merit 
for  us  the  crown  of  justice.  Fathers  and  mothers,  if  you  love  your 
children  as  our  heavenly  Father  loves  us,  reprove  and  correct  them 
for  their  faults.  The  Holy  Ghost  tells  you  :  "  He  that  spareth  the 
rod,  hateth  his  son ;  but  he  that  loveth  him  correcteth  him  betimes. "f 
No  doubt,  however  much  you  temper  the  chastisement  and  reproof 
by  your  kindness,  still  they  will  appear  hard  and  bitter  to  your 
children ;  but  they  will  produce  in  time  salutary  fruits,  and  you 
shall  have  the  joy  of  seeing  your  children  increase  in  grace  and 
wisdom,  according  as  they  advance  in  age. 

In  fine,  fathers  and  mothers,  the  future  of  your  children  is  in 
your  power, — it  is  your  duty  to  bring  them  up  so  that  they  can 
earn  their  livelihood,  and  establish  themselves  suitably  in  the  world. 
But  you  must  think  of  this  in  good  time.  You  should  therefore  be 
careful  to  see  that  while  young  they  learn  to  read  and  write,  and 
that  they  acquire  all  the  knowledge  which  can  be  of  use  to  them  in 
after  life.  On  their  leaving  school,  let  your  sons  become  good 
mechanics,  or  industrious  workmen  :  see  to  what  it  is  God  calls 
them,  and  make  them  follow  their  vocation,  and  fit  themselves  for 
whatever  art,  trade  or  profession  divine  Providence  may  destine 
them.  Let  the  mother  instruct  her  daughter,  and  teach  her  the 
duties  of  housekeeping,  how  to  husband  well  her  time,  and  follow 
in  the  management  of  family  affairs,  the  rules  of  a  wise  economy 
and  a  prudent  care.  Even  before  our  divine  Lord  came  on  earth, 
it  was  said,  and  with  good  reason,  that  the  father  who  neglected  to 
give  his  son  a  trade  or  a  profession  by  which  he  could  earn  his 
livelihood,  was  no  better  than  one  who  would  teach  his  son  to  steal. 
What  awful  responsibilities  then  rest  upon  negligent  parents ! 

*  Hebrews,  xii :  6.  f  Proverbs,  xiii :  24. 


246  SHORT   SERMONS. 

Fathers  and  mothers,  behold  your  duties.  Do  you  discharge 
them  ?  Look  at  that  guilty  father  ;  he  knows,  without  any  doubt, 
that  his  son  absents  himself  from  school,  that  he  learns  nothing, 
that  he  is  idle  and  lazy,  irreverent  and  indevout  in  the  house  of 
God,  that  he  runs  and  plays  on  the  streets,  and  scandalizes  other 
children  by  his  bad  words  and  wicked  oaths  ;  he  knows  that  his  son 
and  his  daughter  squander  his  money  in  useless  dress,  that  they 
absent  themselves  from  his  house  at  night,  visit  bad  company,  and 
return  at  late  hours  ;  he  knows  all  this,  and  yet  remains  silent ;  or, 
perhaps,  will  even  excuse  their  conduct,  by  that  expression  always 
criminal  in  the  mouth  of  a  father  :  "  We  must  allow  something  to 
youth."  That  criminally  imprudent  mother  is  not  ignorant  that 
her  vain,  giddy  and  foolish  daughter  rashly  exposes  herself,  and 
permits  those  dangerous  and  sinful  familiarities  which  are  the  sure 
forerunners  of  shame  and  disgrace  ;  yet  she  does  not  prevent  her, 
but  will  even  seek  to  justify  herself  by  saying  :  "  We  must  not  be 
too  hard  on  young  people.'*  Unfortunate  mother !  the  time  will 
surely  come,  when  you  will  have  reason  to  regret  your  excessive 
indulgence. 

Others  give  the  most  pernicious  example  to  their  children.  They 
curse  and  blaspheme  in  their  presence  ;  they  make  use  of  abscene 
words,  utter  imprecations,  lies  and  calumnies  against  their  neighbor  ; 
they  give  way  to  drunkenness,  steal,  and  commit  the  most  horrid 
crimes  under  the  very  eyes  of  their  own  children. 

Parents,  avoid  these  crimes,  and  do  all  that  lies  in  your  power  to 
promote  the  happiness  of  your  children.  If  you  neglect  their 
education,  if  you  abandon  them  to  their  passions,  they  will  one  day 
bring  you  to  shame  and  misfortune.  Form  their  hearts  then  to 
virtue,  as  the  Holy  Ghost  bids  you,*  and  your  pains  will  not  go 
unrewarded,  even  in  this  life,  for  they  will  be  your  consolation  and 
support  here  below, — they  will  be  your  happiness  and  delight  on 
earth,  and  in  the  world  to  come  they  will  be  your  glory  and  your 
crown. — AMEN. 

*  Proverbs,  xxix :  17. 


DUTIES    OF    SERVANTS.  24:7 


SERMON  L. 

FOURTH  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

DUTIES  OF  SERVANTS  TO  THEIR  MASTERS. 


"  Servants,  obey  in  all  things  your  masters,  according  to  the  flesh." — COLOS- 
SIANS,  iii :  22. 

SERVANTS,  it  is  God  who  caused  you  to  be  born  in  that  condition, 
in  which  to  earn  your  living  you  must  serve  others  ;  and  it  is 
through  this  humble,  obscure  way,  that  He  wishes  to  conduct  you 
to  His  glory.  It  is  then  not  merely  men  but  God  whom  you  serve, 
and  to  serve  God,  is  to  reign.  Yes,  you  will  reign  in  heaven,  if, 
on  earth,  you  perform  in  a  holy  manner  what  God  commands  you. 
You  desire  to  know  the  duties  and  obligations  which  your  state 
imposes  upon  you,  for  I  have  no  doubt  you  are  anxious  to  secure 
your  salvation.  All  your  duties  to  the  masters  whom  Providence 
has  placed  over  you,  may  be  reduced  to  these  two  :  obedience  and 
fidelity.  I  intend  to  explain  them  for  you  as  fully  and  as  simply  as 
I  can. 

Servants  and  subjects,  learn  from  the  Holy  Ghost  to  obey  the 
masters  whom  God  has  given  you  :  "  Servants,  obey  your  carnal 
masters,  with  fear  and  trembling,  in  the  simplicity  of  your  heart, 
as  Christ.  Not  serving  to  the  eye,  as  it  were  pleasing  men,  but,  as 
the  servants  of  Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God  from  the  heart,  with 
a  good  will  doing  service,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  to  men.  Knowing 
that  whatsoever  good  every  one  shall  do,  the  same  shall  he  receive 
from  the  Lord,  whether  he  be  bond  or  free."  *  "  Whosoever  are 
servants  under  the  yoke,  let  them  count  their  masters  worthy  of 
all  honor,  lest  the  name  and  doctrine  of  the  Lord  be  blasphemed. 
But  they  who  have  believing  masters,  let  them  not  despise  them, 

*  Ephesians,  vi :  5,  6,  7,  8. 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

because  they  are  brethren  ;  but  serve  them  the  rather,  because  they 
are  faithful  and  beloved,  who  are  partakers  of  the  benefit."*  Do 
promptly  and  with  docility,  without  getting  into  a  bad  humor,  with- 
out murmur  or  complaint,  whatsoever  your  masters  may  command, 
for  they  occupy  in  your  regard  the  place  of  God,  from  whom  all 
authority  proceeds.  In  the  obedience  which  you  pay  to  your 
superior,  let  your  intention  always  be  to  do  the  will  of  your  su- 
preme Master,  and  you  will  discharge  all  your  duties  with  the  same 
exactness,  whether  the  eyes  of  your  master  be  on  you  or  not ;  you 
will  serve  him  with  the  same  zeal  in  the  simplicity  of  your  heart, 
whether  he  be  good  and  kind,  or  of  a  hard,  cross  and  dissatisfied 
temper,  since  your  only  desire  is  to  please  God.  If  you  wish  to  be 
Christian  servants,  and  to  render  yourselves  agreeable  to  God,  do 
not  serve  solely  through  the  necessity  of  your  condition,  but  from 
love  of  your  duty,  and  be  not  like  those  servants  who,  instead  of 
being  obedient  and  humble,  are  rebellious,  insolent  and  arrogant. 

Servants,  obey  your  masters  in  the  Lord,  that  is  to  say,  in  every 
thing  that  is  not  contrary  to  His  holy  law, — in  things  that  are  just 
and  lawful ;  but  let  your  obedience  go  no  further.  Like  the  Chris- 
tian soldiers  who  fought  under  the  banners  of  the  pagan  emperors, 
you  should  distinguish  between  the  commands  given  you  by  your 
masters,  which  are  conformable  with  the  laws  of  God,  and  those 
which  are  contrary  to  them.  They  made  no  difficulty  to  draw  the 
sword  against  the  enemies  of  their  country,  but  when  any  thing  was 
exacted  of  them  which  religion  condemns,  they  boldly  refused  to 
obey,  and  chose  rather  to  die  than  displease  God,  the  great  Master 
and  sovereign  Lord  of  all. 

Christian  masters,  you  should  not  take  offence  at  what  I  here 
advance.  I  do  not  wish  to  excite  your  domestics  and  servants  to 
disobedience,  but  if  you  command  them  to  do  what  is  contrary  to 
the  law  of  God,  I  say  that  your  rights  to  their  obedience  cease. 
Yes,  servants,  if  you  are  told  to  do  any  thing  unlawful,  for  exam- 
ple, to  labor  on  Sundays,  to  perform  unnecessary  servile  works  on 
festivals  of  obligation,  to  violate  the  laws  of  abstinence,  you  ought 
then,  without  being  wanting  in  the  respect  which  you  owe  your 
masters,  nevertheless  refuse  to  obey  them,  and  to  violate  the  law  of 

*  Timothy,  vi :  1,2. 


DUTIES  OB-  SERVANTS.  249 

God,  for  we  must  obey  God  rather  than  man.  If  a  wicked  master 
solicit  you  to  sin,  refuse,  pray  and  resist  with  courage ;  flee  away, 
quit  the  house,  speed  from  the  claws  of  the  vulture  that  seeks  to 
devour  you,  fly  like  the  chaste  Joseph,  even  though  you  were  to 
leave  your  cloak,  that  is,  some  of  your  little  wealth  in  the  criminal 
hands  of  him  who  would  render  you  guilty  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord. 
Suffer  every  loss  rather  than  the  loss  of  your  soul ;  and  cast  your- 
self into  the  arms  of  your  God,  He  will  take  care  of  you,  He  will 
never  forsake  you  while  you  remain  His  faithful  servant. 

To  ohey  your  masters  in  every  thing  that  is  just  and  reasonable, 
is  your  first  duty  ;  to  be  constantly  faithful  to  them,  is  your  second. 
You  ought,  therefore,  to  be  sincerely  devoted  to  their  interests,  so  that 
you  never  injure  them,  and  that  you  never  permit  others  to  injure 
either  them  or  their  children,  in  their  property  or  reputation,  as  far 
as  it  is  in  your  power  to  prevent  them  from  doing  so.  Such  is  the 
faithful  and  vigilant  servant  whom  the  Evangelist  commends. 
Such  is  the  fidelity  which  the  law  of  God  and  natural  justice 
demand  of  you. 

Servants,  be  faithful  to  your  masters.  Beware  then  of  appro- 
priating to  your  own  use  or  that  of  another,  of  selling  or  giving 
away  the  furniture,  the  food,  the  utensils,  or  any  thing  else  belong- 
ing to  your  master.  Remember  that  you  are  only  the  guardians  of 
the  things  which  have  been  intrusted  to  your  care.  But,  you  will 
say,  may  I  not  take  little  articles  and  give  them  to  the  poor  ?  Be 
as  liberal  as  you  please,  of  your  own  goods,  but  you  are  not  allowed 
to  be  charitable  at  the  expense  of  others,  unless,  indeed,  you  have 
obtained  their  express  permission.  But  I  only  take  things  of  little 
value, — mere  trifles,  and  my  masters  are  so  rich !  By  taking  those 
little  things,  you  nevertheless  commit  a  real  theft ;  by  repetition 
they  form  an  important  matter,  and  then  you  become  guilty  of 
mortal  sin.  Moreover,  is  it  not  true,  that  he  who  is  not  faithful  in 
small  things,  will  not  be  faithful  in  great?  Is  it  not  true,  that 
henceforth  you  no  longer  merit  that  any  one  should  place  confi- 
dence in  your  honesty  ?  But,  you  tell  me,  I  work  hard,  and  my 
wages  are  small.  Your  master  does  you  no  wrong,  since  he  pays 
you  the  wages  you  agreed  to  take.  If  your  wages  are  not  high 
enough,  it  is  your  own  fault.  You  have  no  one  to  blame  but  your- 
self. Ask  an  increase,  or  leave  the  situation ;  but  as  long  as  you 


250  SHORT     SERMONS. 

remain  in  it,  be  faithful,  and  remember  that  God  says  to  you :  let 
servants  be  obedient  to  their  masters  in  all  things  pleasing,  not  con- 
tradicting, not  defrauding,  but  in  all  things  showing  good  fidelity.* 

Servants,  be  faithful  to  your  masters.  Endeavor,  therefore,  to 
procure  for  them  every  possible  profit;  employ  your  time  well, 
perform  your  work  well,  labor  according  to  your  strength.  You 
should  permit  nothing  to  be  lost  through  your  negligence  or  care- 
lessness ;  you  must  watch  over  every  thing  that  has  been  committed 
to  your  charge,  as  if  it  were  your  own. 

Discretion  constitutes  an  essential  part  of  the  fidelity  which  you 
owe  to  your  master.  You  should  never  talk  of  what  passes  in  the 
family,  which  could  in  the  least  compromise  their  honor  or  their 
reputation,  their  credit  or  their  peace.  If  there  are  defects  among 
them,  if  division  reign  between  the  husband  and  wife,  if  the  children 
stray  from  their  duty,  be  discreet,  and  never  reveal  to  others  what 
you  see.  If  their  family  affairs  are  in  disorder,  do  not  divulge  the 
fact,  for  you  might  thus  cause  their  ruin.  Alas !  it  often  happens 
that  servants  are  only  wicked  tale-bearers,  vile  informers,  the  more 
dangerous  as  they  are  the  less  suspected ;  who  examine  whatever 
is  said,  done,  or  takes  place  in  the  house,  only  for  the  purpose. 
of  carrying  the  news  to  others,  along  with  their  own  malicious 
comments.  Ah  !  a  day  will  come  when  God  will  severely  punish 
you  for  having  blackened  the  reputation  of  your  masters,  of  whom 
you  should  never  speak  but  in  respectful  terms,  and  whose  faults 
and  defects  you  should  carefully  conceal. 

Servants,  you  ought  to  be  faithful  to  your  masters  in  all  things. 
Take  great  care  then  of  the  children  whom  they  confide  to  your 
keeping.  It  is  the  most  precious  trust  they  can  commit  to  your 
care.  Watch  over  the  life, — watch  over  the  conduct  of  these  dear 
children,  for  you  must  answer  to  God  for  whatever  evil  may  happen 
to  them  through  your  fault.  You  will  have  to  answer  before  God 
and  before  the  world,  for  the  faults  you  overlook  in  them,  for  the 
vices  you  do  not  seek  to  oppose  in  them,  and  which  you  conceal 
from  their  parents.  But,  perhaps,  you  have  even  flattered  the  pas- 
sions, and  encouraged  the  disorders  of  these  children ;  perhaps,  you 
are  yourselves  the  corrupters  of  their  innocence.  If  so,  woe  to  you 

»  Titus,  ii:  9,  10. 


DUTIES    OF    SERVANTS.  251 

because  of  your  scandals, — it  were  better  for  you  that  a  millstone 
were  tied  round  your  neck,  and  that  you  were  cast  into  the  depth 
of  the  sea.  Well  may  you  dread  that  the  Almighty  will  discharge 
against  you  the  thunderbolts  of  His  vengeance,  and  that  He  will 
one  day  command  the  ministers  of  His  divine  wrath  to  bind  you 
hand  and  foot,  and  cast  you  into  exterior  darkness,  where  there 
shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.* 

You,  I  am  sure,  do  not  wish  to  be  among  the  number  of  these 
vile  beings  who  act  as  the  corrupters  of  youth.  You  desire  to  be 
reckoned  among  the  good  and  faithful  servants,  and  you  discharge 
for  your  masters  the  duties  that  you  owe  them, — you  respect  them, 
— you  obey  them  with  zeal.  Following  then  the  example  of  the 
good  servant  spoken  of  in  the  gospel,  be  always  ready  to  do  all 
that  they  require  of  you,  without  reply,  and  without  complaint. 
Serve  them  faithfully.  Always  defend  their  interests.  Appropri- 
ate to  yourself  nothing  that  is  theirs,  but  preserve  their  property 
with  as  much  care  as  if  it  were  your  own.  Defend  their  honor  and 
reputation.  Discharge  all  these  duties  with  the  intention  of  pleas- 
ing God,  who  is  the  sovereign  Master,  and  from  whose  mouth  you 
will  thus  merit  one  day  to  hear  these  most  consoling  words,  "  Well 
done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant ;  because  thou  hast  been  faith- 
ful over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things :  enter  thou 
into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." — AMEN. 

*  St.  Matthew,  xxv  :  30. 


252  SHORT    SERMONS. 

SERMON  LI. 

FOURTH  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

DUTIES  OF  MASTERS  TO  THEIR  SERVANTS. 


"  Masters,  do  to  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal ;  knowing  that  you 
also  have  a  Master  in  heaven." — COLOSSIANS,  iv  :  1. 

IT  is  a  palpable  and  yet  very  common  error  among  masters,  to 
imagine  that  they  have  servants  only  for  the  purpose  of  being 
served  by  them ;  that  their  servants  owe  them  every  thing,  and  that 
they  owe  nothing  to  their  servants.  But  this  is  far  from  being  the 
truth ;  in  society  all  duties  must  be  reciprocal :  hence,  the  Apostle 
St.  Paul,  having  said  to  servants  :  "  Obey  your  masters,"  immedi- 
ately adds,  "  and  you  masters  do  to  your  servants  that  which  is  just 
and  equal."  Servants  and  domestics  have  many  duties  to  fulfill 
toward  their  masters,  of  which  I  have  already  spoken  ;  but  masters 
have  also  obligations  toward  their  servants  :  and  these  will  form 
the  subject  matter  of  our  present  instruction. 

It  is  very  true,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  has  said  it  by  the  mouth  of 
the  Apostle,  "  that  all  power  comes  from  God  ;"  but  although  the 
authority  which  masters  possess  comes  from  God,  they  ought  not 
on  that  account  to  let  themselves  be  puffed  up  by  it,  and  still  less 
should  they  abuse  it.  These  servants  are  your  equals  by  nature ; 
they  are  your  brothers  by  religion.  This  poor  domestic  was  formed 
from  the  same  slime  from  which  you  were  formed ;  you,  like  him, 
are  made  of  dust  and  clay.  Why  then  are  not  you  the  servant 
instead  of  him  ?  God  willed  it  otherwise ;  His  providence  has  its 
views  in  this  division  of  conditions  upon  earth.  Dust  and  ashes 
then,  like  this  poor  creature,  you  should  not  be  elated  with  pride, 
and  treat  him  with  harshness  and  contempt.  He  is  your  brother  in 
religion ;  like  you,  he  is  the  child  of  God  ;  like  you,  he  was  created 
to  the  image  of  God ;  like  you,  he  was  redeemed  at  the  price  of  the 
blood  of  the  Son  of  God ;  like  you,  he  was  regenerated  in  the  saving 


DUTIES    OF    MASTERS.  253 

waters  of  baptism  ;  and  like  you,  he  is  destined  by  his  vocation  to 
reign  eternally  in  heaven,  where  the  distinction  between  master  and 
servant  will  no  longer  exist.  There,  perhaps,  he  will  be  greater 
than  you ;  perhaps  his  present  lowliness  will  exalt  him  then,  while 
your  grandeur  will  lower  you;  for  God  is  just,  and  He  has  no 
respect  of  persons.*  The  poor  are  as  pleasing  to  Him  as  the  rich. 
There  is  but  one  thing  that  prevails  in  the  sight  of  God,  —  and 
that  is  a  good  and  virtuous  life,  —  the  holy  and  faithful  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  one's  state.  Masters  and  mistresses,  do  you 
desire  to  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ?  Do  you  desire  to  be 
pleasing  to  God  even  more  than  your  servants  and  dependents  ? 
Then  acquit  yourselves  conscientiously  of  all  the  duties  which 
heaven  has  imposed  upon  you;  perform  well  whatever  you  are 
bound  to  do  for  your  servants,  both  for  their  present  and  their 
future  life, — for  their  bodies  and  for  their  souls.  For  the  present 
life,  what  do  you  owe  to  your  servants  ?  If  it  is  the  servant's  duty 
to  labor  with  zeal  and  fidelity  for  you,  it  must  also  be  your  duty  to 
give  to  your  servants  good  and  suitable  nourishment,  and  to  pay 
them  just  and  fair  wages.  Hence,  the  Holy  Spirit  has  said  :  "Thou 
shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  thy  corn  on  the  floor,  "f 
And  if  then  you  are  bound  to  care  for  the  dumb  beast  that  works 
for  you,  with  how  much  more  reason  are  you  obliged  to  maintain 
a  man  like  yourself,  who  exhausts  his  strength  for  your  advantage. 
Give  him  then  this  necessary  maintenance,  that  he  may  recruit  his 
strength  spent  in  your  service. 

Those  masters  fail  in  this  important  duty,  who  eat  and  drink  the 
best  things  and  live  in  abundance,  while  they  permit  their  servants 
to  feel  the  pangs  of  hunger,  dealing  out  to  them  spoiled  food,  and 
even  grudging  them  the  little  bread  which  they  eat.  It  was  not  thus 
that  our  divine  Saviour  acted  with  respect  to  those  who  labored 
with  Him  in  His  divine  mission  ;  these  poor  sinners,  rude  and 
uncultivated  though  they  might  be,  were  never  denied  a  seat  at  His 
table. 

Masters  who  overburden  their  servants  with  work  calculated  to 
destroy  or  weaken  their  health,  are  wanting  in  their  duties,  and 
become  guilty  of  great  injustice.  Health  and  bodily  strength  are 

»  Ephesians,  vi :  9.  f  Deuteronomy,  xxv  :  4. 


254:  SHORT    SERMONS. 

the  sole  riches  of  servants ;  if,  therefore,  you  place  upon  their 
shoulders  burdens  which  are  too  heavy  for  them  to  bear,  you  deprive 
them  or  their  means  of  living  ;  by  wasting  their  strength,  you  commit 
an  injustice,  and  become  the  guilty  cause  of  shortening  their  clays, 
or  making  them  pass  their  old  age  in  disease,  in  suffering,  and  in 
want.  You  would  not  overwork  your  ox  or  your  horse,  because 
you  fear  that  you  would  thereby  lose  them ;  and  yet  so  much  has 
cupidity  blinded  you,  and  rendered  you  hard-hearted,  that  you  will 
not  exhibit  the  same  consideration  toward  your  fellow-being,  made 
as  he  is  to  the  image  and  likeness  of  God.  How  criminal  you 
render  yourself  in  the  sight  of  God  ! 

V^e  see  people  manifest  affection  for  an  old  horse  or  a  faithful 
dog,  and  yet  they  have  no  hearts  to  sympathize  with,  and  provide 
for  the  wants  of  their  old  and  infirm  servants.  It  is  unquestionably 
an  act  of  cruelty  for  masters  to  abandon  their  sick  servants,  whom 
they  could  without  trouble  have  cured  in  their  own  houses,  and  to 
oblige  them  to  spend  the  last  cent  of  their  hard  earnings,  or  be 
forced  to  retire  to  the  poor  house,  which  is  designed  only  for  those  who 
have  no  other  resource.  This  is  not  following  the  advice  given  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  who  says:  ''If  thou  have  a  faithful  servant,  let 
him  be  to  thee  as  thy  own  soul ;  treat  him  as  a  brother."* 

The  centurion  of  the  Gospel  understood  well  this  obligation, 
which,  if  not  justice,  at  least  charity  and  gratitude  impose  upon 
masters.  His  servant  is  sick ;  and  the  master  is  not  content  with 
keeping  him  in  his  own  house,  with  treating  him  with  all  possible 
care  and  kindness,  and  using  every  means  in  his  power  to  cure  him ; 
but  perceiving  that  his  good  servant  is  about  to  die,  he  hastens  to 
cast  himself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  begs  Him  to  have  pity  on  his 
faithful  servant,  and  restore  him  to  health  and  strength. 

Here  is  a  beautiful  example  to  follow,  Christian  masters.  Learn 
from  it  not  to  drive  from  your  houses  your  hard-working  servants, 
when  old  age  comes  on  them,  or  sickness  seizes  them  in  your  service  ; 
treat  them  kindly, — with  charity  and  with  compassion,  and  in 
recompense  you  will  draw  down  on  yourselves  the  blessing  of  our 
good  God, — you  will  be  beloved  by  your  attendants,  and  they  will 
delight  to  serve  you  with  zeal,  with  fidelity,  and  with  love.  These 

»  Ecclesiasticus,  xxxiii :  31. 


DUTIES    OF    MASTERS.  255 

are  your  duties  to  your  servants,  as  far  as  regards  the  body  and  the 
present  life.  Let  us  see  what  you  owe  them  in  reference  to  their 
souls  and  their  eternal  salvation. 

If  you  are  good  masters,  you  ought  to  be  like  fathers  to  your 
servants  and  all  dependent  on  you.  Who  are  these  poor  servants  ? 
They  are  perhaps  orphans,  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  seeking  in 
you  other  parents  !  If  not,  it  is  certain  that  the  poverty  of  their 
own  parents  forced  them  to  tear  themselves  from  their  natural  pro- 
tectors, to  earn  their  bread  among  strangers.  Feeling  then  for  their 
condition,  do  you  fill  toward  them  the  place  of  those  dear  parents, 
whom  they  left  to  enter  your  service.  On  this  point,  your  obli- 
gations are  the  same  as  those  of  parents  to  their  children.  You 
should  take  particular  care  of  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  you 
should  instruct  them,  give  them  good  example,  remove  them  from 
every  occasion  of  sin ;  you  should  reprove  them,  correct  them,  and 
see  that  their  conduct  be  always  wise  and  pious,  prudent  and  Chris- 
tian. According  to  the  Apostle,  the  master  who  fails  in  this  duty 
is  worse  than  an  infidel.  Truly,  Christian  masters  should  not  be 
content  to  live  themselves  in  the  practice  of  virtue  and  piety,  they 
should  take  care  to  have  their  servants  also  pious,  virtuous  and  wise. 
They  ought  not  to  be  content  with  serving  God  punctually  and 
fervently,  they  should  also  watch  over  their  domestics,  and  see  that 
they  assist  piously  at  Mass,  that  they  serve  the  Lord  devoutly,  and 
do  not  violate  His  holy  law.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  master  and 
mistress  pass  the  Sundays  and  festivals  in  a  religious,  Christian 
manner,  that  they  themselves  sanctify  the  day  by  hearing  the  ser- 
mon or  reading  a  good  book, — they  ought  also  to  be  very  careful 
that  their  dependents  keep  holy  the  Lord's  day  and  festivals  of 
obligation,  that  they  also  hear  the  word  of  God  and  are  present  at 
the  pastoral  instruction ;  they  need  it  for  their  sanctification  and 
salvation.  Masters,  these  domestics  belong  to  God  more  than  they 
do  to  you  ;  let  them  therefore  have  time  to  serve  the  Lord  ;  beside, 
you  will  be  in  the  end  the  gainer ;  for  if  they  serve  God  faithfully, 
they  will  not  be  indolent  in  your  service. 

Masters,  be  careful  to  give  all  under  your  charge  good  example. 
Never  let  them  hear  you  utter  a  wicked  word,  or  see  you  commit  a 
bad  action.  You  ought  also  prevent  by  every  means  in  your  power, 
that  your  servants  should  say  or  do  any  thing  displeasing  to  God. 


256  8HOKT   SERMONS. 

Weigh  well  what  I  have  said,  and  judge  how  guilty  must  be  those 
masters  who  take  little  or  no  trouble  to  inquire  into  the  conduct  of 
their  domestics ;  who  care  not  how  ignorant  they  may  be,  how  little 
they  may  know  of  their  duty  to  God, — who  never  inquire  if  their 
servants  attend  Mass  on  Sundays,  if  they  are  absent  from  the  house 
at  night,  if  they  keep  bad  company,  and  receive  visits  from  ill-dis- 
posed, wicked  companions. 

How  culpable  must  be  the  masters,  who  listen  to  the  evil  conver- 
sations of  their  domestics  without  saying  a  word  by  way  of  repri- 
mand or  correction  !  How  guilty  and  imprudent  must  they  be, 
who  keep  in  their  service  cursors,  blasphemers,  and  immodest 
domestics,  who  soon  will  corrupt  by  their  scandalous  example  the 
most  cherished  portion  of  the  family,  and  bring  ruin  on  the  souls 
of  those  dear  children,  whom  you,  fathers  and  mothers,  ought  to 
love  so  much  !  Alas  !  children  are  but  too  much  inclined  to  follow 
bad  example  !  how  many  of  them  are  every  day  lost  to  virtue  by 
wicked  and  corrupt  servants  !  Masters  and  mistresses,  see  that  you 
know  well  your  important  duties  ;  if  you  fail  to  discharge  them,  if 
you  neglect  them,  you  will  receive  at  the  throne  of  God  the  most 
indignant  reproaches,  and  perhaps  you  will  be  severely  punished 
even  in  this  life.  God  will  withdraw  from  you  his  graces  and 
blessings,  and  He  will  permit  that  your  houses,  given  over  to  dis- 
order, should  fall  into  decay.  Every  day  furnishes  examples  in 
abundance  of  this  sad  truth. 

On  the  contrary,  do  you  wish  to  be  blessed  by  God  in  time  and 
in  eternity?  Then  carefully  and  zealously  discharge  the  duties 
which  He  has  imposed  upon  you  in  regard  to  your  servants  ;  take 
a  cordial  interest  in  the  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare  of  each  one 
among  them.  Give  them  necessary  support ;  pay  them  their  wages, 
God  commands  you  to  do  so.  "Thou  shalt  not  do  that  which  is 
unjust ;  the  wages  of  him  that  hath  been  hired  by  thee,  shall  not 
abide  with  thee  until  the  morning.*  Never  over-burden  them  with 
labor  :  "  Be  not  as  a  lion  in  thy  house,  terrifying  them  of  thy  house- 
hold, and  oppressing  them  that  are  under  thee."f  No,  treat  them 
as  neighbors,  as  Christians,  who,  like  yourselves,  have  their  Father 
in  heaven.  Be  careful  of  their  salvation, — never  permit  them  to 

*  Leviticus,  xix  :  13.  t  Ecclesiastic  us,  iv  :  35. 


ON    MUKDER.  257 

commit  evil,  but  with  the  royal  prophet,  say:  "I  will  understand 
and  walk  in  the  unspotted  way.  I  walked  in  the  innocence  of  my 
heart,  in  the  midst  of  my  house.  I  did  not  set  before  my  eyes  any 
unjust  thing.  My  eyes  were  upon  the  faithful  of  the  earth  to  sit 
with  me."*  Let  your  wise  counsels,  and  above  all,  your  good 
example  incline  them  to  piety  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  all 
together,  servants  and  masters,  may  do  good  while  on  earth ;  and 
may  deserve  to  be  once  more  united  hereafter  in  heaven,  there  to 
enjoy  the  rich  recompense  of  eternal  glory. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LII. 

FIFTH  COMMANDMENT. 

ON   MURDER. 


"Thou  shalt  not  kill." — EXODUS,  xx :  13. 

THOUGH  in  this  commandment  of  the  Decalogue,  Almighty  God 
seems  to  prohibit  only  murder,  yet  it  is  certain  that  His  prohibition 
extends  to  many  other  sins.  For  not  only  does  He  condemn  the 
unjust  killing,  striking  or  wounding  of  another,  but  he  also  forbids 
anger,  injuries,  insults,  and  whatever  else  may  lead  to  the  awful 
crime  of  murder.  Moreover,  my  Brethren,  this  same  precept  of  the 
Lord  prohibits  spiritual  murder,  that  is,  the  sin  of  scandal,  which 
brings  death  on  our  neighbor's  soul.  The  explanation  of  a  precept 
so  important  merits  your  close  attention. 

What  is  forbidden  by  the  Fifth  Commandment  ?  "  Thou  shalt 
not  kill."  In  the  first  place,  we  are  forbidden  to  cause  our  own 
death,  or  unnecessarily  to  injure  our  health.  To  kill  one's  self 
is  a  crime  :  our  life  belongs  to  God,  and  we  must  not  attempt  to 
take  it  away ;  it  is  a  deposit  which  Providence  has  confided  to  us, 


*  Psalms,  c :  2,  6. 
22 


258  SHORT   SEBMONS. 

and  which  we  must  preserve  as  long  as  He  thinks  proper  to  leave  it 
to  us.  To  kill  one's  self  is  a  crime,  for  it  is  an  act  of  treason  ;  we 
are  placed  as  sentinels  in  this  world,  to  guard  the  interests  of  Almighty 
God,  and  we  must  not  quit  our  post,  without  the  order  of  the  Cap- 
tain who  commands  us.  To  kill  one's  self  is  a  crime,  for  it  is  to 
usurp  the  rights  of  God.  We  did  not  come  into  the  world  by  our 
own  will,  we  must  not  leave  it  but  by  the  command  of  God,  who 
placed  us  here.  He  gave  us  life,  that  we  might  serve  Him  accord- 
ing to  the  views  of  His  providence ;  to  Him  alone  then  does  it 
belong  to  say:  "It  is  enough,  your  work  is  finished,  return  to  Me.'* 
The  crime  of  the  man  who  commits  suicide  is  enormous,  and  so 
much  the  more  dreadful,  as  by  it  he  escapes  the  vengeance  of  human 
laws.  Unfortunate  man, — you  suffer,  and  miseries  press  so  heavily 
upon  you,  that  you  imagine  it  would  be  more  to  your  advantage  to 
die  than  to  live  longer ;  but,  take  heed,  the  Lord  forbids  you  to  take 
away  your  life.  And  beside,  will  a  death  of  despair  deliver  you 
from  your  evils  and  torments  ?  If  you  die  in  sin,  you  plunge  your- 
self into  eternal  evils,  for  you  deprive  yourself  of  time,  without 
which  you  can  not  do  penance.  You  suffer, — then  come  to  Jesus 
Christ,  and  He  will  relieve  you  of  your  sorrows  ;  come  and  learn 
from  our  divine  Saviour  how  to  comply  with  the  holy  will  of  God  ; 
come  and  draw  strength  and  consolation  from  the  contemplation  of 
the  truths  of  faith.  This  divine  faith  teaches  that  God  never 
imposes  upon  you  a  burden  which  you  can  not  bear,  He  tempers 
the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb ;  it  teaches  you  that  he  who  cheerfully 
carries  his  cross,  will  see  these  temporal  pains  succeeded  by  an 
eternity  of  happiness,  for  he  will  one  day  be  borne  by  them  to 
heaven. 

But,  you  say  to  me,  may  I  not  at  least  desire  death  in  my  suffer- 
ings ?  Is  it  the  love  of  God, — is  it  the  desire  of  being  sooner 
united  to  Him  in  heaven,  that  moves  you  to  call  upon  death  ? 
And  by  forming  this  desire  are  you  wholly  and  perfectly  resigned 
to  His  holy  will  ?  If  so,  you  do  not  sin,  and  you  can  beg  of  the 
Lord  "to  permit  His  servant  to  depart  in  peace."  But  no,  you 
desire  death,  and  this  bad  desire  has  its  source  in  impatience,  in 
despair,  or  in  some  violent  passion  which  hinders  your  soul  from 
paying  the  submission  that  you  owe  to  the  sovereign  Master  of  life 
and  death.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  telling  you  that  this  desire  is  a 


ON    MURDER.  259 

sin,  that  you  offend  God,  and  that  the  grievousness  of  the  crime 
which  you  commit  becomes  still  more  enormous,  when  you  allow 
yourselves  to  utter  blasphemies  and  execrations  against  God  and 
against  yourself. 

God  forbids  you  to  seek  after  death  ;  beside,  He  prohibits  what- 
ever might  bring  about  your  death  or  cause  a  notable  injury  to  your 
health.  Alas  !  these  transgressions  are  but  too  frequent !  It  is  no 
uncommon  thing  to  see  people  unnecessarily  exposing  their  lives  to 
danger.  You  are  of  this  number,  my  young  friends,  when  you  play 
at  dangerous  games  to  show  off  your  dexterity  or  your  strength. 
You  are  of  this  number  who  give  way  to  anger,  to  lust,  to  gluttony, 
to  debauchery,  to  drunkenness,  and  who  by  these  infamous  passions, 
shorten  your  lives.  You  also  are  of  this  number,  who  are  so  avari- 
cious that  you  refuse  yourselves  the  medical  attendance  and  remedies 
which  your  health  demands,  or  who  deprive  yourselves  of  the  neces- 
saries of  life.  How  many  people  there  are,  who,  in  their  sickness 
have  recourse  to  particular  and  dangerous  remedies  !  All  these  act 
contrary  to  the  commandment  of  the  Lord,  and  violate  the  fifth 
precept  of  the  Decalogue  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill." 

In  the  second  place,  the  law  of  God  forbids  us  to  attempt  the 
life  of  our  neighbor.  To  kill  our  neighbor  is  an  enormous  crime, — 
a  crime  which  cries  to  heaven  for  vengeance.  The  murderer  takes 
away  from  his  fellow-creature  his  life,  which  is  the  greatest  of  all 
temporal  blessings  ;  he  has  the  audacity  to  kill  a  man,  for  whom 
God  created  every  thing  ;  and,  consequently,  he  destroys,  as  far  as 
it  is  in  his  power,  all  the  works  of  the  Creator ;  he  attempts,  in 
some  measure,  to  destroy  God  himself,  since  the  man  whom  he 
murders  is  the  image  of  God.  Hence,  the  Lord  holds  this  crime  in 
especial  horror,  and  required  that  he  who  would  dare  to  shed  human 
blood,  should  be  exterminated  from  the  midst  of  His  people  !  It  is 
an  awful  crime,  and  the  Evangelist  St.  John  tells  us,  that  murderers 
shall  suffer  eternal  torments  in  the  fires  of  hell.  And  yet,  who 
would  believe  it?  This  horrid  crime  is  not  only  committed  by 
cruel,  savage  men, — sad  slaves  of  avarice,,  of  lust,  but  even  by 
women.  Too  often,  having  had  the  misfortune  to  yield  to  a  shame- 
ful passion,  to  conceal  their  first  crime,  they  commit  another  still 
more  abominable  and  frightful.  Oh  !  how  detestable  those  souls 
appear  in  the  sight  of  God, — mothers  indeed,  but  mothers  unworthy 


260  SHORT    SERMONS. 

of  that  endearing  name,  whose  barbarous  hands  have  robbed  of  life, 
even  in  its  origin,  their  own  offspring,  and  inflicted  on  them  a  two- 
fold death,  by  preventing  their  entrance  into  this  world, — and  by 
depriving  them  of  all  hope  of  life  everlasting  in  the  world  to  come. 
Their  innocent  blood  will  cry  out  against  such  mothers,  and  demand 
vengeance  on  them  from  heaven.  It  will  pursue  them  through  life, 
and  follow  them  even  to  the  abyss  of  hell. 

You  are  guilty  of  this  same  crime,  ye  brutal  husbands,  who, 
regardless  of  the  state  in  which  your  wives  are,  force  them  to  carry 
heavy  burdens,  to  overwork  themselves ;  who  excite  them  to  anger, 
and  do  not  even  fear  to  strike  and  abuse  them.  Your  children 
come  into  the  world, — they  are  dead, — and  you  are  the  cause  of 
their  death,  —  you  are  their  murderers!  You  also  are  guilty  of 
murder, — you  who  fear  not  to  exact  of  your  children  a  labor  which, 
being  above  their  strength,  undermines  and  destroys  their  constitu- 
tion ;  you  who  chastise  them  beyond  measure,  who  torment  them, 
and  provoke  them  to  dangerous  and  violent  fits  of  anger.  They 
die,  and  you  are  the  cause  of  their  untimely  death.  God  will 
demand  an  account  of  their  blood  from  you.  Fathers  and  mothers, 
nurses  and  servants,  are  also  guilty  of  homicide,  who  sleep  with 
newly  born  infants,  and  smother  them  in  their  sleep.  This  is,  alas, 
no  imaginary  case ;  it  is  but  too  common.  And  even  though  this 
accident  were  not  to  occur,  those  imprudent  persons  are  criminal  in 
the  sight  of  God,  for  exposing  themselves  to  so  great  a  danger,  and 
for  having  violated  a  law  of  the  Church,  which  threatens  those 
unnatural  parents  with  the  most  terrible  of  its  penalties, — that  of 
excommunication. 

In  fine,  my  Brethren,  the  Fifth  Commandment  prohibits  not  only 
murder,  but  also  every  desire  of  committing  it ;  it  forbids  all  those 
thoughts,  —  those  criminal  gratifications,  —  those  wicked  desires 
which  revenge,  ambition  and  self-interest  inspire.  Be  on  your  guard 
then  against  anger,  hatred  and  desires  of  vengeance.  God  wishes 
that  you  should  remove  far  from  your  minds,  every  thing  which 
might  inspire  you  with  the  desire  of  this  awful  crime  of  murder. 
The  Apostle  St.  John  assures  us,  that  he  who  hates  his  brother  is  a 
murderer.  He  is  already  a  murderer  before  God,  for  he  has  the 
inclination,  and  harbors  in  his  heart  the  disposition  to  bring  about 
his  fellow-creature's  death.  Are  we  not  daily  witnesses  of  the  truth 


ON    MUEDEK.  2C1 

of  this  assertion?  How  often  have  inveterate  hatreds  ended  in 
homicide  and  murder?  Far  from  allowing  us  to  hate  our  brethren, 
our  divine  Saviour  commands  us  to  love  them  even  when  they 
wish  us  evil.  He  desires  that  we  should  do  good  to  those  who  hate 
us ;  that  we  should  not  cease  to  pray  for  those  who  persecute  us ; 
He  desires  us  to  forget  the  injuries  we  have  received,  and  that  charity 
for  our  brethren  should  never  be  extinguished  in  our  hearts.  Ah ! 
if  we  had  this  divine  charity, — this  charity  which  is  gentle,  meek, 
gracious,  beneficent ;  which  supports  all  things,  pardons  all  offences, 
what  happiness  would  we  not  all  experience.?  What  a  loving  peace 
would  reign  over  the  whole  earth !  What  beautiful  order,  harmony 
and  union  would  exist  between  all  the  children  of  our  heavenly 
Father !  Then  there  would  be  no  hatred,  no  envy,  no  anger,  and 
no  revenge;  our  passions  would  be  subdued,  and  we  would  no 
longer  hear  of  bad  desires,  evil  wishes,  execrations,  imprecations, 
curses,  injuries  and  wrongs  ;  we  would  no  longer  witness  disputes, 
quarrels,  fights,  murders  and  homicides  ;  there  would  be  but  one 
heart  and  one  soul  among  us. 

My  Brethren,  love  all  men, — they  are  your  brethren,  and  he  that 
loves  not  his  brother  abides  in  death.  Never  seek  to  revenge  your 
wrongs,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  would  condemn  you  as  usurpers  of  the 
rights  of  God,  to  whom  alone  belongs  all  vengeance.  He  who  will 
not  forgive,  says  St.  James,  the  Apostle,  he  who  will  not  show 
mercy,  will  be  judged  without  mercy.  But  on  the  contrary,  our 
Saviour  himself  assures  us,  that  the  charity  which  we  exercise 
toward  our  brethren,  by  forgiving  them  the  wrongs  they  have  done 
us,  will  obtain  the  pardon  of  our  own  sins,  and  merit  for  us,  on  the 
day  of  judgment,  the  eternal  rewards  which  God  reserves  for  His 
elect  in  heaven. — AMEN. 


202  SHORT    SERMONS. 

SERMON  LIII. 

FIFTH  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

ON   SCANDAL. 


"  Woe  to  the  world  because  of  scandals.  For  it  must  needs  be  that  scandal 
come:  nevertheless,  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  scandal  cometh." — ST. 
MATTHEW,  xviii :  7. 

IT  is  a  great  sin  to  take  from  our  neighbor  the  life  of  his  body, 
but  still  more  fearful  is  the  crime  of  destroying  the  life  of  his  soul. 
Nevertheless,  such  is  the  offence  of  which  they  are  guilty,  who,  by 
their  Scandals,  destroy  the  kingdom  of  grace  in  the  hearts  of  their 
brethren,  who  cause  their  neighbors  to  depart  from  the  paths  of 
virtue,  who  induce  them  to  enter  into  the  ways  of  sin  and  vice,  and 
lead  them  to  perdition  and  eternal  death.  It  is  highly  important 
that  we  should  conceive  a  horror  for  the  sin  of  Scandal ;  it  is  there- 
fore my  intention  to-day  to  tell  you  in  what  this  crime  consists,  to 
show  you  how  grievously  it  offends  God,  and  with  what  facility  the 
greater  part  of  Christians  render  themselves  guilty  of  it. 

What  is  Scandal?  In  the  language  of  the  Church,  Scandal  is 
understood  to  mean  whatever  may  be  for  our  neighbor  an  occasion 
of  sin  or  spiritual  rnin  ;  and  it  is  defined  to  be  a  word,  an  action 
or  an  omission,  bad  in  itself  or  in  appearance,  and  affording  to 
others  the  occasion  of  falling  into  sin  ;  that  is,  Scandal  is  an  action 
or  an  omission  calculated  to  induce  our  neighbor  to  do  the  evil 
which  he  ought  to  avoid,  or  to  prevent  him  from  doing  the  good 
which  he  ought  to  perform.  An  example  will  render  this  definition 
more  clear  to  your  minds.  A  vicious  man, — one  whose  heart  is 
corrupt,  takes  delight  in  bad  thoughts  ;  when  alone,  he  indulges  in 
unchaste  songs,  and  even  commits  criminal  actions.  No  doubt,  he 
offends  God, — he  is  guilty  of  sin, — of  mortal  sin;  yet  this  man 
injures  only  himself,  and  no  body  else  suffers  from  his  wickedness  ; 
he  is  guilty  of  sin,  but  not  of  Scandal.  But  if  he  communicates 


ON    SCANDAL.  263 

his  bad  thoughts  to  others ;  if  in  their  presence  he  gives  expression 
to  these  obscene  words, — sings  these  impious  or  impure  songs  before 
them,  then  he  sins  not  only  against  himself,  but  he  wounds,  perhaps 
kills,  the  soul  of  his  neighbor,  for  he  scandalizes  him,  since,  by  his 
bad  example,  he  induces  his  fellow-creature  to  do  what  God  forbids. 
And,  mark  it  well,  this  sin  of  Scandal  is  so  much  the  more 
grievous,  the  greater  the  number  of  persons  present  who  can  be 
thus  excited  to  commit  the  evil  deed. 

To  commit  then  the  sin  of  Scandal,  is  it  necessary  that  your 
conversations  or  actions  have  the  effect  ot  drawing  your  neighbor 
into  sin?  By  no  means,  my  Brethren;  there  is  Scandal,  when, 
considering  the  position  of  him  who  commits  the  evil,  and  the 
disposition  of  those  in  whose  presence  it  is  committed,  there  is 
good  reason  to  fear  that  these  persons  will  be  enticed  into  sin. 
They  happen  not  to  fall,  the  grace  of  God  has  protected  them, 
blessed  be  His  holy  name  !  but  you  who  have  said  or  done  this 
wicked  thing,  which  of  itself  was  capable  of  inducing  others  to 
imitate  your  example  and  to  sin  as  you  sinned,  you  are  culpable, — 
you  have  given  Scandal.  He  who  heard  or  saw  you,  resisted  the 
temptation  ;  but  you  desired  to  make  him  fall ;  you  did  what  lay 
in  your  power  to  produce  that  sad  result,  you  are  therefore  as  guilty 
as  if  he  fell.  It  was  thus  that  the  unfaithful  wife  of  Putiphar 
became  guilty  of  a  great  sin  of  Scandal,  when,  by  her  shameful 
solicitations,  she  sought  to  make  the  chaste  Joseph  fall  into  crime  ; 
and  yet  Joseph  yielded  not  to  her  base  desires.  Thus  also  the 
impious  Antiochus  gave  great  Scandal  and  committed  an  awful 
crime,  when  by  threats  and  tortures,  he  endeavored  to  compel  the 
Israelites  to  violate  their  holy  laws,  although  he  did  not  succeed  in 
his  unholy  attempt,  and  the  servants  of  God  remained  steadfast  in 
the  ways  of  the  Lord  and  faithful  to  their  duty. 

Is  Scandal  a  great  sin?  It  is,  without  doubt,  a  great  crime  to 
murder  the  body, — but  to  murder  the  soul  is  unquestionably  far 
greater.  St.  Augustine  makes  a  comparison  between  these  two 
sins,  and  he  clearly  proves  that  the  murderer  of  the  soul  is  much 
more  odious,  though  less  dreaded,  than  the  murderer  of  the  body  ; 
that  his  crime  is  more  deserving  of  our  tears  and  infinitely  greater 
than  that  of  the  assassin,  who  is  so  severely  punished  by  human 
justice.  One  causes  us  to  lose  a  life  which  was  destined  in  any 


264  SHORT    SERMONS. 

event  one  day  to  end,  and  deprives  the  soul  of  a  body  which  it  had 
soon  to  quit,  but  which  will  be  restored  to  it  immortal ;  the  other 
wrests  us  from  God,  and  destroys  in  us  that  supernatural  life  of 
grace,  which  it  is  so  hard  to  recover  when  once  it  is  lost.     By  tak- 
ing away  the  life  of  the  body,  the  murderer  becomes  like  Cain,  who 
sacrificed  his  brother  to  his  envy  and  wrath ;  but  by  dragging  us 
into  sin  by  his  Scandals,  the  murderer  of  oi&  souls  assimilates  him- 
self to  the  devil,  who,  by  enticing  our  first  parents  to  disobey  God, 
became  a  murderer,  having  by  this  one  act  of  his  malice  brought 
death  upon  the  whole  human  family.     In  depriving  his  fellow-being 
of  life,  the  assassin  only  injures  man ;  but  by  inflicting  death  on 
his  soul,  he  outrages  God  himself !     He  robs  the  God  of  goodness 
of  the  souls  whom  He  had  purchased  with  His   own  blood,  and 
gives  them  over  to  be  held  in  slavery  by  the  devil ;  he  strips  our 
loving  Lord  of  the  fruits  of  His  painful  death,  and  destroys,  as  far 
as  in  him  lies,  the  work  of  our  redemption !     No  wonder  then  if 
Jesus  CJirist  should  pronounce  the  awful  anathema  against  this  sin  : 
"Woe  to  the  world  because  of  Scandals.  .....  Woe  to  that  man  by 

whom  the  Scandal  cometh;"  as  if  He  said,  misery,  eternal  misery  to 
him  who,  by  his  actions,  his  words,  his  false  judgments,  his  wicked 
jests,  his  raillery,  or  any  other  means  which  the  devil,  whose  agent 
he  is,  can  suggest,  dares  induce  his  neighbor  to  offend  God  and  fall 
into  the  snares  of  Satan.  "He  that  shall  scandalize  one  of  these 
little  ones  that  believe  in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  mill- 
stone were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the 
depths  of  the  sea."*  How  richly  does  the  scandalous  man, — who  by 
depriving  a  virtuous  soul  of  its  innocence,  snatches  it  from  the  arms 
of  the  divine  Mercy,  and  hands  it  over  to  be  made  the  victim  of 
that  awful  Justice  which  can  destroy  both  body  and  soul  forever, — 
how  richly,  I  say,  does  he  merit  those  terrible  anathemas  !  Let  us 
fear  Scandal,  my  Brethren,  for  it  is  a  horrible  crime. 

Scandal  is  in  the  sight  of  God  a  great  sin,  and  yet  nothing  is 
more  common  even  among  Christians  than  Scandal.  We  commit 
it  without  alarm  or  uneasiness  of  any  sort.  Tell  me,  are  there  not 
many  parents  here  present  who  make  no  account  of  disputing, 
wrangling,  and  quarreling  among  themselves,  and  who  oftentimes 

*  St'.  Matthew,  xviii :  6. 


ON    SCANDAL.  265 

f 

commit  still  worse  sins  in  the  presence  of  their  children  ?  Is  it  not 
very  common  for  fathers  of  families,  in  the  presence  of  their  ser- 
vants and  children,  to  curse,  swear  and  blaspheme,  to  ridicule  and 
calumniate  their  neighbors  ?  Are  there  no  Christians  who  urge 
their  dependents  to  commit  evil  deeds  ?  Do  we  never  meet  any 
who  shamelessly  and  unrestrainedly  give  bridle  to  the  impure 
tongue,  and  utter  the  most  obscene  words  ?  Is  the  number  of  those 
people  small,  who  indulge  in  criminal  familiarites  in  the  fields 
during  harvest  time,  in  the  long  winter  evenings,  at  dances,  at 
weddings,  and  at  parties  ?  You  sing  immodest  and  indecent  songs, 
— they  resound  on  every  side, — pass  from  mouth  to  mouth,  from 
ear  to  ear.  Ah  !  how  many  souls  are  lost  by  the  impure  thoughts 
which  these  songs  suggest  to  the  mind,  and  by  the  guilty  fire  which 
they  light  up  in  the  heart !  How  many  Scandals  are  given,  and 
how  many  poor  souls  are  lost  by  these  Scandals  !  and  who  now-a- 
days  has  a  horror  of  these  sins  ?  We  easily  become  familiarized 
with  them,  and  they  who  commit  them  most,  far  from  feeling  shame 
and  remorse,  soon  learn  to  glory  in  their  iniquity.  Yet,  do  not 
deceive  yourselves,  you  are  bound  to  repair  the  spiritual  evil  done 
to  your  neighbor,  the  injury  inflicted  on  his  soul  by  your  Scandals. 
You  owe  it  to  God,  whom  you  have  robbed  of  glory ;  you  owe  it 
to  Jesus  Christ,  from  whom  you  have  wrested  souls  for  whose  sal- 
vation He  shed  the  last  drop  of  His  sacred  blood  ;  you  owe  it  to 
your  neighbor :  restore  to  these  souls  the  grace,  the  innocence,  the 
friendship  of  God,  the  precious  blessings  which  you  have  taken 
from  them.  How  will  you  do  it  ?  I  will  tell  you.  Pray  for  those 
whom  you  have  scandalized  ;  give  them  good  example,  and  let  your 
conduct  for  the  future  be  the  very  reverse  of  that  which  you  now 
regret ;  impose  upon  yourselves  a  penance  commensurate,  if  possible, 
to  the  number  and  enormity  of  the  Scandals  which  you  have  had 
the  misfortune  to  commit.  In  a  word,  the  man  who  by  his 
Scandals  robs  God  of  His  glory  by  taking  away  souls  from  Him, 
is  obliged  to  do  whatever  is  in  his  power  to  restore  this  glory  to 
the  Almighty,  by  contributing  to  the  salvation  of  as  many  souls  as 
he  possibly  can.  It  is  true,  he  will  not  rescue  from  hell  the  souls 
he  has  already  sent  there  by  his  Scandals,  but  he  will  at  least  have 
done  what  God  requires  of  him. 

N<nv,  my  Brethren,  you  know  how  great  is  the  crime  of  Scandal.. 


266  SHORT   SERMONS. 

The  man  who  gives  Scandal  murders  the  soul  of  his  neighbor,  for 
he  drags  it  into  sin  and  into  eternal  death.  Take  heed,  therefore, 
and  never  more  fall  into  this  detestable  sin.  Never  say  any  thing, 
— never  do  any  thing  which  may  induce  your  fellow-creature  to 
commit  crime  ;  but  engrave  upon  your  memory  these  awful  words 
of  Jesus  Christ :  "  Woe  to  that  man  by  whom  Scandal  cometh  !" 
Let  these  words  be  perpetually  present  to  your  minds,  and  God 
grant  that  you  never  again  fall  into  the  sin  of  Scandal, — that  none 
but  good  words  ever  again  come  out  of  your  mouths, — that  you 
perform  only  good  deeds, — that  you  fulfill  your  duties  as  true 
Christians, — and  thus  one  day  reach  heaven,  by  walking  along  the 
path  of  virtue  on  earth. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LIV. 

SIXTH   COMMANDMENT. 

ON   ADULTERY. 

"Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery." — EXODUS,  xx:   14. 

THERE  is  a  sin  which  the  language  of  every  people  calls  shameful 
and  infamous ;  a  sin  which  caused  the  world  to  be  submerged  in  a 
deluge  ;  which  brought  down  fire  from  heaven  upon  five  wicked 
cities,  and  changed  the  places  which  they  occupied  into  a  fetid  lake ; 
and  this  sin  is  that  which  is  forbidden  by  the  Sixth  Commandment. 
I  do  not  deny,  my  Brethren,  that  I  fear  speaking  to  you  about  the 
sins  which  the  Sixth  Commandment  of  God  forbids.  Nevertheless, 
I  hope  with  the  divine  assistance  so  to  discharge  my  duty,  that 
my  tongue  shall  not  utter  a  single  word  calculated  to  offend  your 
ears  or  sully  your  hearts. 

"Thou  shalt  not  commit  Adultery  ;"  that  is,  thou  must  not  be 
guilty  of  any  uncleanness  of  body  or  of  mind.  You  must  not 
prostitute  your  body  to  shameful,  base  actions ;  you  must  not  let 


ON    ADULTERY.  267 

your  mind  consent  to  lustful  desires  or  unchaste  thoughts,  but  you 
must  avoid  all  impurity. 

Adultery,  which  is  the  violation  of  the  fidelity  which  the  husband 
and  wife  promised  to  each  other  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  is  one  of  the 
most  enormous  sins  opposed  to  the  beautiful  virtue  of  purity.  He 
who  is  guilty  of  it,  violates  conjugal  chastity,  tramples  under  foot 
the  oath  which  he  made  before  God  and  His  Church,  and  commits 
an  act  of  crying  injustice,  for  he  acts  contrary  to  the  rights  which 
each  of  the  married  couple  has  over  the  body  of  the  other,  and  by 
this  crime,  perhaps,  introduces  into  the  family  a  stranger  to  inherit 
a  portion  of  the  estate,  which  ought,  in  justice,  to  descend  only  to 
legitimate  children.  Adultery,  therefore,  is  a  fourfold  sin :  of  lust, 
treachery,  perjury  and  robbery.  Understand  well  then,  you  married 
people,  the  heinousness  and  enormity  of  this  crime, — and  if  ever 
you  are  tempted  to  commit  it,  call  to  mind  the  example  of  heroic 
courage  and  virtue  which  the  chaste  Susanna  presented  to  the 
world.  Two  wicked  old  men  threatened  to  have  her  condemned  to 
death  if  she  refused  to  comply  with  their  sinful  desires ;  but  this 
holy  daughter  of  Israel  cast  her  eyes  upon  heaven,  and  preferred 
death  rather  than  to  save  her  life  by  sin.  God  vindicated  her 
innocence,  and  saved  her  from  the  hands  of  the  wicked.  Never 
forget  this  beautiful  example,  and  you  will  drive  from  your  presence 
the  vile  seducer,  and  will  not  fall  into  sin. 

But  the  true  Christian  is  not  satisfied  with  hating  and  avoiding 
the  sin  of  Adultery,  he  has  a  horror  also  for  every  action,  every 
word,  and  even  every  thought  contrary  to  the  holy  virtue  of  chastity ; 
for  he  knows  that  the  law  of  the  Decalogue  and  the  Gospel  com- 
mand him  to  fly  these  criminal  things ;  he  knows  that  Jesus  Christ 
condemns  the  man  who  looks  on  a  woman  with  concupiscence  and 
bad  desires  ;  he  knows  that  in  this  shameful  kind  of  sin  there  is  no 
light  or  trivial  matter,  that  in  it  all  sins  are  mortal  as  soon  as  he 
gives  his  full  consent ;  he  knows  that  every  sin  of  impurity  deprives 
him  of  the  grace  of  God  and  closes  against  him  the  gates  of  heaven. 

Yes,  God  detests  these  impure  things,  and  they  are  sovereignly 
displeasing  in  His  sight.  Why  so  ?  Call  to  mind  the  truths 
which  faith  teaches  us,  my  Brethren,  and  you  will  easil}'-  understand 
the  reason  :  "  Know  you  not,"  says  St.  Paul,  "  that  your  bodies  are 
the  members  of  Christ  ?  Shall  I  then,  taking  the  members  of 


268  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Christ,  make  them  the  members  of  a  harlot  ?  God  forbid."*  Has 
not  the  Creator  made  man  to  His  own  likeness  ?  Has  not  our  flesh 
been  ennobled  by  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  ?  Have  not 
our  bodies  been  sanctified  by  the  unction  of  baptism  and  confir- 
mation, and  have  we  not  been  incorporated  with  our  Lord  in  the 
adorable  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  ?  Are  not  our  bodies,  in  fine, 
the  living  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?j-  God  condescends  to  dwell 
within  us  ;  is  it  not,  therefore,  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance 
that  we  should  respectfully  bear  in  our  hearts  this  exalted  guest, 
glorifying  Him  in  our  mortal  bodies  which  He  consents  to  honor 
with  His  divine  presence?  Kemember  that  your  flesh  does  not 
belong  to  you,  but  to  Him  who  created  and  redeemed  you.  Kecol- 
lect  that,  if  you  permit  your  bodies  to  follow  the  desires  of  corrupt 
nature,  you  violate  the  sanctity  of  the  most  august  temple  of  God, 
you  drive  from  it  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  you  introduce  an  unclean 
spirit  to  reign  therein  instead  of  God.  Know  also  that  you  commit 
a  sin  which  extinguishes  faith,  brutalizes  the  soul,  kills  the  body, 
and  degrades  man  to  a  level  with  unclean  animals.  How  justly 
then  does  God  detest  this  sin,  and  command  us  to  fly  from  every 
thing  which  might  lead  us  to  it,  but  more  especially  from  idleness 
and  intemperance  in  eating  and  drinking,  which  are  the  ordinary 
sources  of  sins  against  purity  ! 

Idleness  is  the  mother  of  all  vices,  and  particularly  of  the  one  of 
which  I  speak.  When  a  man  has  nothing  to  do,  his  spirit  must 
necessarily  be  borne  toward  some  object,  and  it  scarcely  ever  fails  to 
rest  upon  those  things  which  are  most  detrimental  to  innocence  and 
modesty.  In  idleness,  the  imagination  is  active  and  represents  to 
itself  impure  images,  in  which  the  will  easily  takes  pleasure,  and  to 
which  it  soon  gives  consent.  In  idleness,  the  remembrance  of  past 
sins  return  with  great  facility  to  the  mind,  and  not  unfrequently 
with  new  pleasure  and  delight.  When  a  man  has  nothing  good 
and  useful  to  employ  himself  about,  he  has  all  his  time  to  devote 
to  evil  thoughts  and  evil  actions.  Beside,  the  devil,  who  is  always 
on  the  watch  to  surprise  us,  never  fails  to  attack  us  at  the  time 
when  he  is  persuaded  that  we  are  most  weak  and  least  prepared  to 
resist  him;  he  therefore  always  desires  to  find  us  idle.  When 

*  1  Corinthians,  vi :  15.  f  1  Corinthians,  vi :  19. 


ON    ADULTERY.  269 

neither  the  body  nor  the  mind  is  occupied,  all  the  doors  of  the  soul 
are  open  to  the  suggestions  of  the  impure  spirit,  and  he  never  fails  to 
avail  himself  of  this  occasion,  always  so  favorable  to  his  wicked 
designs.  We  should  therefore  be  always  doing  something,  says  St. 
Augustine,  that  being  continually  occupied,  we  may  be  able  to  avoid 
the  wiles  and  resist  the  attacks  of  the  tempter.  Let  the  devil  always 
find  you  employed,  says  St.  Jerome,  for  he  who  works  is  tempted 
only  by  one  devil,  while  the  idler  is  pursued  by  legions.  I  appeal 
to  your  own  experience,  my  Brethren,  is  it  not  true  that  you  owe  to 
idleness  the  misfortune  of  having  committed  many  of  your  sins. 
Is  it  not  true  that  you  are  more  frequently  tempted  on  days  when 
you  have  nothing  to  do  than  on  those  when  you  are  hard  at  work  ? 
Here  is  a  young  man : — for  a  whole  week  he  has  no  bad  thought, 
commits  no  immodest  action,  because  he  labors  diligently  and 
constantly.  But  as  soon  as  Sunday  comes,  this  same  young  man, 
so  prudent  and  wise  during  the  week  days,  now  goes  into  bad  com- 
pany, gives  expression  to  obscene,  filthy  words,  entertains  impure 
thoughts,  commits  actions  which  God  condemns,  sullies  his  mind, 
his  heart  and  his  body  with  horrible  sins.  Whence  does  this 
lamentable  change  come?  The  question  is  easily  answered;  in- 
stead of  keeping  the  Lord's  day  holy  by  devoting  it  to  exercises 
of  piety  and  religion,  as  God  and  the  Church  command  him,  he 
passes  the  whole  day  in  idleness,  with  bad  companions.  How 
many  are  the  sins  which  he  commits  ;  and  how  much,  alas  !  is 
their  number  increased,  if  to  idleness  he  has  the  misfortune  to  add 
intemperance  in  drinking, — the  degrading  vice  of  drunkenness ! 

My  Brethren,  the  experience  of  every  age  teaches  us,  that  nothing 
so  effectually  excites  men  to  impurity  as  wine  and  intoxicating 
drinks.  It  is  very  difficult  for  those  who  are  addicted  to  the  use  of 
spirituous  liquors  to  be  truly  chaste.  Whenever  you  see  a  drunkard, 
you  may  be  certain  that  he  is  also  an  immodest  man.  The  conse- 
quence is  legitimate,  as  experience  abundantly  proves.  "Be  not 
drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  luxury.*  Keep  always  before  you  this 
maxim  of  the  wise  man  :  "wine  is  a  luxurious  thing,  and  drunken- 
ness riotous ;  whosoever  is  delighted  therewith  shall  not  be  wise."f 
Listen  to  the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  eternal  Wisdom : 

*  Ephesians,  v  :  18.  t  Proverbs,  xx  :  1. 


270  SHORT   SERMONS. 

"take  heed,"  He  says,  "lest  your  hearts  be  surfeited  with  drunken- 
ness and  gluttony."  St.  Jerome  emphatically  tells  us,  that  a  body 
full  of  strong  drinks  will  wallow  in  criminal  delights. 

Avoid  idleness,  refrain  from  drunkenness,  if  you  wish  to  preserve 
in  your  hearts  the  holy  virtue  of  purity.  "My  son,"  says  the  wise 
man,  "  if  sinners  shall  entice  thee,  consent  not  to  them ;  walk  not 
thou  with  them  :  restrain  thy  foot  from  their  paths,  for  their  feet  run 
to  evil."*  If  you  wish  to  be  pure,  my  Brethren,  shun  every 
dangerous  occasion  of  sin;  rely  not  upon  your  own  strength,  nor  trust 
your  own  wisdom,  for,  as  St.  Augustine  says,  you  are  not  stronger 
than  David,  nor  wiser  than  Solomon.  But  into  what  shocking  sins 
did  these  two  kings  fall,  by  imprudently  exposing  themselves  to 
dangerous  occasions.  Ah !  if  you  are  not  stronger  nor  wiser  than 
they  were,  how  much  reason  have  you  to  fear  ?  But,  perhaps,  you 
have  been  living  for  this  long  time  past,  in  the  occasion  which  I 
fear  so  much  for  you.  Alas  !  you  will  lose  your  soul,  and  there  is 
no  salvation  for  you,  unless  you  destroy  that  criminal  habit,  break 
that  connection,  quit  that  person  who  has  caused  you  so  often  to 
offend  God,  and  depart  from  that  house  wherein  you  have  been  so 
many  times  betrayed.  My  dear  Brother,  you  wish,  no  doubt,  to  be 
once  more  pure  and  chaste,  to  be  relieved  of  the  heavy  weight  of 
sin  under  which  you  groan ;  quit  then,  quit  the  occasion  of  your 
sin,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  has  declared  "that  he  who  loves  the  danger 
shall  perish  in  the  danger." 

And  you  pure  souls,  you  have  a  great  love  for  this  angelic 
virtue,  but  you  have  your  fears,  because  you  have  so  much  to 
endure  from  temptations.  Listen  to  those  words  of  St.  John  of 
Damascus:  "Watching,  labor,  prayer  and  fasting  are  the  arms 
which  you  must  employ  to  overcome  the  concupiscence  of  the  flesh. 
Join  to  these  pious  practices  the  thought  of  death  and  the  rigor  of 
the  torments  reserved  for  those  who  abandon  themselves  to  the 
mortal  pleasures  of  sensuality."  And  I  may  add  to  those  words 
of  the  holy  doctor,  frequent  the  sacraments  ;  often  purify  your  soul 
in  the  waters  of  penance  ;  present  yourself  often  at  the  table  of  the 
Lord  to  feast  there  on  the  bread  of  the  strong  and  the  wine  which 
makes  virgins.  Above  all,  have  a  true  devotion  to  the  most  holy 

»  Proverbs,!:  10,  15 


ON    THEFT.  271 

Virgin.  Pray  to  the  Mother  of  God  with  fervor  and  perseverance, 
and  she  will  not  cease  to  watch  over  you,  to  aid  and  support  you 
in  the  hour  of  trial,  for  she  protects,  in  a  special  manner,  those 
souls  who  desire  to  serve  God  with  pure  and  chaste  hearts.  Adopt 
the  holy  practice  of  reciting  every  morning  and  evening  three  times 
the  "Hail  Mary"  in  honor  of  her  immaculate  conception.  You 
will  thus  become  pleasing  in  her  sight,  and  she  will  obtain  for  you 
from  her  divine  Son  many  and  powerful  graces.  If  you  wish  then 
to  remain  pure,  "watch  and  pray,"  says  our  divine  Saviour,  "that 
you  enter  not  into  temptation  ;"  that  is,  that  you  may  not  yield  to 
the  temptation  of  the  flesh.  Keep  yourselves  in  the  presence  of 
God,  who  sees  all  things,  even  the  most  secret  thoughts  of  your 
hearts.  Remember  that  a  great  recompense  in  the  eternal  habi- 
tations awaits  those  who  shall  have  fought  on  earth  the  good  fight 
of  the  Lord,  and  preserved  in  their  hearts  the  beautiful  virtue  of 
purity,  the  virtue  which  will  elevate  men  to  the  rank  of  the 
angels. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LV. 

SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT. 

ON    THEFT. 

"Thou  shalt  not  steal." — EXODUS,  xx :   15. 

ADMIRE  the  infinite  goodness  and  love  of  God  for  man.  Not 
satisfied  with  protecting  our  life,  our  body,  our  honor  and  our  repu- 
tation, by  these  two  precepts  :  "Thou  shalt  not  kill  ; — thou  shalt 
not  commit  adultery;"  He  is  also  pleased  by  this  commandment: 
"Thou  shalt  not  steal,"  to  forbid  all  injury  to  our  external  goods 
and  whatever  may  belong  to  us.  By  this,  God  designs  to  hinder 
any  one  from  taking  away  or  damaging  the  property  of  another, 
of  which  He  declares  himself  the  protector.  There  are  a  great 


272  S  H  O  K  T    S  K  K  M  O  N  S  . 

many  ways  of  injuring  our  neighbor  in  his  property :  to-day  I 
will  speak  only  of  theft. 

"Thou  shalt  not  steal.'*  God  prohibits  theft,  that  is  to  say,  the 
taking  away  by  violence,  by  cunning,  or  by  fraud,  goods  which  do 
not  belong  to  us.  To  offer  violence  to  our  neighbor  to  obtain 
possession  of  his  property,  is  called  robbery.  Such  is  the  crime 
committed  by  highwaymen,  and  those  who  abuse  their  credit,  their 
authority  or  their  strength,  to  compel  the  weak  to  give  up  their 
goods.  They  also  are  guilty  of  this  crime,  who  take  advantage  of 
the  fears  and  wants  of  the  poor,  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  to 
plunder  them.  In  a  word,  all  these  are  guilty  of  robbery,  who 
trample  under  foot  the  rights  of  the  helpless  and  the  weak ;  they 
are  all  detestable  robbers  of  their  neighbor's  property.  Simple 
stealing  consists  in  taking  a  thing  secretly  and  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  him  to  whom  it  belongs. 

Even  had  God  not  forbidden  us  in  the  Decalogue  to  steal  the 
property  of  another,  the  natural  law  would  have  taught  us  that 
stealing  is  a  crime,  for  it  forbids  us  to  do  to  another  what  we  would 
not  be  willing  to  have  done  to  ourselves.  Now,  it  is  a  contradiction 
in  words  to  say,  that  any  one  willingly  suffers  his  property  to  be 
taken  away  or  retained  against  his  will.  But  not  only  is  theft 
opposed  to  the  natural  law  and  to  justice,  it  is  also  contrary  to 
charity,  since,  far  from  allowing  us  to  do  him  wrong,  charity 
imposes  upon  us  the  obligation  of  wishing  well  to  our  neighbor, 
and  assisting  him  as  far  as  we  are  able.  What  would  become  of 
society,  if  men  could  lawfully  and  with  impunity  take  away  one 
another's  goods  ?  And  of  how  many  evils  is  not  theft  the  origin  ? 
It  is  the  source  of  a  multitude  of  rash  judgments,  hatreds,  enmities, 
animosities,  murders  and  revolutions.  No  one,  therefore,  can  doubt 
that  theft  is  in  its  nature  a  mortal  sin.  The  Apostle  St.  Paul 
clearly  marks  it  as  such,  when  he  says,  that  neither  those  who 
commit  fraud,  nor  thieves  shall  ever  possess  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.*  The  prophet  Zacharias  had,  long  before,  pronounced 
the  condemnation  of  all  injustice:  "This  is  the  curse,"  said  lie, 
"that  goeth  forth  over  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  for  every  thief  shall 
be  judged  as  is  there  written. "f  Another  prophet  exclaimed: 

*  1  Corinthians,  vi:  10.  t  Zaclmriua,  v:  '.]. 


ON    THEFT.  273 

"  Woe  to  him  that  heapeth  together  that  which  is  not  his  own !  how 
long  also  doth  he  load  himself  with  thick  clay  ?"*  Yes,  woe  to  him 
that  soils  his  soul  with  "  thick  clay,"  that  is  to  say,  with  ill-gotten 
goods,  which,  like  mire,  burden  and  defile  his  soul !  Woe  to  him 
Avho  lays  violent  hands  on  the  goods  of  his  brother  !  Woe  to  the 
thief  or  robber,  before,  during  and  after  his  criminal  action  !  There 
is  nothing  for  him  but  fear  and  anguish. 

See  the  man  who  has  conceived  the  dreadful  thought  of  stealing 
the  goods  of  his  neighbor,  what  cautious,  hypocritical  steps  he 
takes !  What  trouble  he  is  at  to  prevent  the  discovery  of  his 
criminal  plans  !  With  what  anxiety  and  trembling  he  advances, 
stretches  forth  his  arm  and  lays  his  hand  on  the  property  of  his 
neighbor.  The  stirring  of  a  leaf, — the  creaking  of  a  piece  of 
furniture, — the  distant  bark  of  a  dog  is  enough  to  make  him 
tremble,  and  often  puts  the  thief  to  flight.  But  the  theft  is  accom- 
plished. Then,  what  cares,  what  trouble,  uneasiness  and  concern 
to  hide  the  theft  from  the  knowledge  of  all, — to  be  able  to  use,  or 
sell  the  ill-gotten  goods.  What  anguish  fills  his  guilty  soul,  when 
he  considers  that  it  is  possible  he  may  still  be  discovered  and 
delivered  into  the  hands  of  justice,  to  be  for  ever  dishonored, 
despised,  and  shunned  by  the  whole  world.  You  know  well,  my 
Brethren,  and  experience  confirms  the  truth  of  what  I  say,  that 
those  who  are  known  as  thieves,  are  everywhere  regarded  with 
horror  and  detestation.  Stealing  is  one  of  those  vices  which  cover 
with  shame  and  degradation,  not  merely  such  as  are  convicted,  but 
even  those  who  are  suspected  of  them.  The  very  name  of  thief  is 
looked  on  with  abhorrence,  because  we  feel  that  he  who  deserves  it 
is  well  nigh  an  assassin  in  heart.  You  pardon  a  man  a  hundred 
defects  and  weaknesses,  but  let  any  one  tell  you  that  he  is  a  thief, 
and  you  forthwith  shun  him,  and  drive  him  from  your  house. 
Behold  then  a  sin  which  is  the  inexhaustible  source  of  disgrace  and 
vexation.  The  Holy  Ghost  says :  "  confusion  and  repentance  is  upon 
a  thief,  and  an  evil  mark  of  disgrace  upon  the  double-tongued. "j- 
Add  to  all  this,  that  stolen  goods  never  benefit  the  thief,  as  he  must 
one  day  restore  them,  and  you  will  admit,  that  stealing  is  not  only 
a  great  crime,  but  also  a  great  act  of  folly.  I  am  aware  that  even 


*  Habncuc,  ii :  fi.  f  Ecclesmsticu?,  v  :  17. 


274  SHOKT    SERMONS. 

for  this  crime  there  are  persons  who  seek  to  excuse  themselves,  and 
who,  deceiving  themselves,  will  not  acknowledge  that  they  are  as 
guilty  as  they  in  reality  are.  The  thief  will  say  :  it  is  true,  I  took 
what  did  not  belong  to  me ;  but  it  was  from  a  rich  man ;  he  will 
not  thereby  suffer ;  he  did  not  even  discover  his  loss.  This  is  a 
miserable  and  detestable  excuse,  says  the  Catechism  of  the  Council 
of  Trent.  Were  you  yourselves  rich,  would  you  be  satisfied  that  a 
stranger  should  come  and  take  what  he  pleased  of  your  goods  with- 
out your  consent  ?  You  surely  would  not ;  do  not  deceive  your- 
selves then,  all  men, — the  rich  as  well  as  the  poor, — desire  that  their 
property  should  not  be  stolen.  Beside,  does  the  law  of  God  say  to 
you  :  thou  shalt  not  steal  from  the  poor  man  ?  Does  it  not,  with- 
out any  exception,  tell  you  :  not  to  steal,  not  to  appropriate  to  your- 
selves the  goods  of  any  one  without  his  knowledge  and  against  his 
will  ?  Whether,  therefore,  your  neighbor  be  rich  or  poor,  every  time 
you  steal  his  goods,  you  do  what  God  forbids, — and  you  are  a  thief. 
Nevertheless,  although  it  is  always  a  sin  to  take  the  property  of 
another,  all  stealing  is  not  a  mortal  sin.  The  grievousness  of  this 
sin  is  in  proportion  to  the  damage  which  it  causes  to  our  neighbor ; 
so  that,  if  the  thing  stolen  be  of  such  trifling  consequence  that  our 
neighbor  thereby  scarcely  suffers  any  damage,  the  sin  is  not  one  of 
those  which  will  exclude  you  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  But, 
says  a  learned  theologian,*  whoever  the  person  be,  whether  rich  or 
poor,  against  whom  the  theft  is  committed,  we  think  that  the  sum 
of  one  dollar  is  sufficient  for  a  mortal  sin.  You  may  even  sin 
mortally  by  taking  a  very  small  matter  ;  as  when  the  theft,  however 
trifling  in  itself,  causes  considerable  injury  to  your  neighbor.  Thus, 
the  man  who  would  steal  a  few  cents,  or  a  little  bread  to  the  value 
of  a  few  cents,  from  a  very  poor  person,  who  had  nothing  else  to 
support  his  life  for  that  day,  would  commit  a  mortal  sin,  not  indeed 
on  account  of  the  value  of  the  thing  in  itself,  which,  no  doubt  is 
very  trifling,  but  because  of  his  cruelty  to  this  poor  person,  who,  he 
knows,  must  suffer  a  great  deal  in  consequence.  Suppose  you  have 
the  intention  of  stealing  a  great  sum  of  money,  but  it  happens  that 
you  can  take  but  a  very  small  part  of  what  you  coveted  ;  before 
God,  you  sin  mortally,  for,  in  His  eyes,  the  desire  is  taken  for  the 

*  Goueeet. 


ON    THEFT.  2 75 

act.  He  also  sins  mortally  who  steals  at  the  same  time  from 
different  persons  many  little  things,  but  which  taken  together  form 
matter  for  grievous  sin.  You  commit  a  great  many  small  thefts, 
yet  without  the  intention  of  taking  a  considerable  sum  at  any  one 
time  ;  hut  all  these  small  thefts  are  morally  united,  either  by  your 
intention,  or  by  being  committed  within  a  very  limited  period ;  in 
this  case  you  also  sin  grievously  by  the  last  of  the  thefts,  which 
completed  the  matter  sufficient  for  a  mortal  sin.  It  is  here,  above 
all,  that  we  see  the  truth  of  those  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  "He 
that  contemneth  small  things,  shall  fall  by  little  and  little."* 

You  would  deceive  yourselves,  my  Brethren,  if  you  supposed  that 
the  Seventh  Commandment  forbids  only  stealing  or  appropriating 
to  your  use  your  neighbor's  goods.  It  is  also  a  transgression  of  this 
precept,  willfully  to  waste,  or  deliberately  to  destroy,  the  property 
of  another.  This  is  even  in  some  respects  more  criminal  than  theft, 
since  ill-gotten  goods  are  serviceable  to  some  body,  the  stolen  thing 
may  be  turned  to  use,  may  be  sold  and  applied  to  the  benefit  of 
some  one ;  but  what  advantage  can  it  be  to  you  or  any  one  else, 
when  impelled  by  anger,  hatred  or  revenge,  you  destroy  your 
neighbor's  property,  his  house,  stock  or  farm  ?  You  derive  no 
other  advantage  from  this  except  the  horrible  satisfaction  of  having 
gratified  your  wicked  desires,  your  vile  and  detestable  passion. 
Unjust  suspicions  arise  in  the  mind  of  this  man,  whose  property  you 
have  injured ;  perhaps  he  will  curse  and  blaspheme,  and  deadly  enmity 
will  spring  up  in  his  heart,  which  may  bring  about  the  ruin  of  thou- 
sands of  souls.  You  have  to  answer  before  God  for  all  these  sad  con- 
sequences of  your  sin  ;  you  will  have  much  to  restore  and  much  to 
repair,  if  you  wish  to  obtain  forgiveness,  and  die  in  the  grace  of  God. 

Therefore,  my  Brethren,  be  very  careful  never  to  commit  the  sin 
of  theft.  Trust  not  to  yourselves,  for  we  become  gradually  accus- 
tomed to  evil;  conscience  by  degrees  becomes  hardened  to  remorse, 
and  what  appeared  at  first  considerable,  will  soon  seem  light  and 
even  insignificant.  Never  forget  what  our  divine  Saviour  has  said  : 
"he  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least,  is  faithful  also  in  that 
which  is  greater ;  and  he  that  is  unjust  in  that  which  is  little,  is 
unjust  also  in  that  which  is  greater."*  Let  the  fear  of  God  and 

*  Ecclesiasticus,  xix  :  1.  t  Luke,  xvi :  10. 


276  SHORT    SERMONS. 

the  love  of  justice  be  the  invariable  rules  of  your  conduct.  If  it 
please  God  to  try  you  by  reducing  you  to  poverty,  do  not  lose  sight 
of  those  beautiful  words  of  holy  Tobias :  "  We  are  the  children  of 
saints,  and  look  for  that  life  which  God  will  give  to  those  that 
never  change  their  faith  from  him  . . .  We  lead  indeed  a  poor  life  ; 
but  we  shall  have  many  good  things  if  we  fear  God,  and  depart 
from  all  sin,  and  do  that  which  is  good."*  Ah !  my  Brethren, 
"what  doth  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his 
own  soul?"  Far  better  is  it,  patiently  and  resignedly,  to  earn  our 
bread  in  the  sweat  of  our  brow,  consoled  by  the  thought  that  the 
just  will  inherit  the  land  of  the  living,  and  will  dwell  there 
forever. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LVL 

SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

ON  THEFT.— (CONTINUED.) 


"Thou  shalt  not  steal." — EXODUS,  xx  :   15. 

THE  law  of  the  Lord  is  violated  and  the  seventh  precept  of  the 
Decalogue  transgressed  in  a  vast  variety  of  ways.  Sins  of  injustice 
are  so  various,  so  numerous,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  point 
them  all  out.  However,  I  deem  it  my  duty  once  more  to  speak  to 
you  on  the  sins  opposed  to  the  commandment  which  forbids  us  to 
steal.  I  will  tell  you  some  of  the  many  unjust  acts  which  are  most 
easily  and  most  commonly  committed  in  the  world  ;  and  I  will  hold 
them  up  to  your  view,  in  such  a  way  that  you  may  conceive  a  salu- 
tary dread  of  them,  and  that  you  may  never  depart  from  the  ways 
of  duty. 

We  commit  a  sin  of  injustice  when  we  deceive  our  neighbor. 
Those  persons  therefore  sin  against  justice  and  become  guilty  of 

*  Tobias,  ii :  18;— iii:  23. 


0  N    T  II  E  F  T  . 

theft,  who,  in  trade  or  commerce,  demand  for  damaged  and  counter- 
feit articles,  the  same  price  as  if  the  articles  were  good  and  genuine  ; 
those  too,  who  take  advantage  of  the  ignorance  or  want  of  the 
seller,  for  the  purpose  of  buying  things  a  great  deal  under  their 
value  and  below  the  ordinary  price,  they  who  resort  to  cunning  and 
deceit  to  make  it  appear  that  their  goods  are  worth  a  great  deal  more 
than  they  in  reality  are  ;  those,  in  fine,  who,  monopolizing  any 
article,  raise  it  to  an  exhorbitant  price  and  thereby  oppress  the  poor  ; 
which  is  a  sin  detestable  in  the  sight  of  God.  All  these  persons 
violate  the  Seventh  Commandment.  Those  also  are  guilty  of  theft, 
who  keep  a  criminal  silence  relative  to  the  hidden  defects  of  the 
things  which  they  sell,  and  require  for  them  the  same  price  as  if 
they  were  not  defective.  You  sell  an  animal  affected  by  some  secret 
disease,  and  receive  for  it  the  ordinary  price,  yet  you  feel  no  scruple 
of  conscience  for  having  done  so.  What  do  I  say  ?  you  glory  in 
the  deed,  and  boast  of  having  outwitted  those  simple  people  whose 
eyes  were  not  sufficiently  sharp  to  discover  the  snare  which  you  set 
for  them  ;  ymi  glory  in  your  triumph,  but  you  are  far  from  receiving 
glory  for  it  before  God  !  They  also  commit  theft,  who,  in  their  deal- 
ings, make  use  of  false  weights  and  measures.  Listen  to  those  words 
of  the  Almighty  :  "Thou  shalt  not  have  diverse  weights  in  thy  bag, 
a  greater  and  a  less  :  neither  shall  there  be  in  thy  house  a  greater 
bushel  and  a  less  :  thou  shalt  have  a  just  and  a  true  weight ;  and 
thy  bushel  shall  be  equal  and  true.*  Do  not  any  unjust  thing  in 
judgment,  in  rule,  in  weight,  or  in  measure.  Let  the  balance  be 
just,  and  the  weights  equal,  and  the  bushel,  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy 
God.f  Diverse  weights  and  diverse  measures,  both  are  abominable 
before  God.J"  Say  not  that  these  persons  are  excusable  because 
they  cause  no  great  damage  by  their  small  thefts  to  any  one  in  par- 
ticular. We  must  judge  them  as  we  would  judge  the  man  who 
should  steal  a  considerable  sum  from  a  community  or  a  city  ;  the 
wrong  he  does  to  each  particular  individual  is  very  slight,  but  the 
injury  he  commits  against  the  community, — against  society  at 
large, — is  great  and  considerable.  This  man  therefore  is  guilty  of 
mortal  sin. 

Men  commit  a  sin  of  injustice  and  transgress  the  Seventh  Com- 

*  Deuteronomy,  xxv :  13.        f  Leviticus,  xix :  35.        t  Proverbs,  xx:  10. 


278  SHORT    SERMONS. 

mandment,  when  they  do  not  discharge  well  their  duties  as  pro- 
tectors or  guardians ;  when  they  do  not  administer  with  care  and 
fidelity  the  property  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan  ;  or  avail  them- 
selves of  the  widow's  and  orphan's  funds  to  enrich  themselves  or 
their  families.  The  master  who  retains  all  or  a  part  of  the  wages 
due  to  his  workmen  or  servants,  without  a  just  reason,  is  likewise 
guilty  of  a  breach  of  this  precept.  He  is  nothing  less  than  a 
detestable  robber  of  his  neighbor's  hard  earnings.  To  rob  the 
widow  and  the  orphan,  to  rob  the  laborer  of  his  hire,  are  two 
crimes  crying  to  heaven  for  vengeance.  St.  James  says  :  "  Your 
gold  and  silver  is  rusted  :  and  the  rust  of  them  shall  be  for  a  testi- 
mony against  you ;  and  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  fire.  You  have  stored 
up  for  yourselves  wrath  against  the  last  days.  Behold,  the  hire  of 
the  laborers,  who  have  reaped  your  fields  of  which  you  have  de- 
frauded them,  crieth  out ;  and  the  cry  of  them  hath  entered  into  the 
ears  of  the  Lord  of  saboath."*  Yes,  it  is  an  awful  crime  to  defraud 
the  laborer  of  his  hire  :  but  on  the  other  hand  how  many  workmen 
also  violate  this  Seventh  Commandment?  All  those  sin  against 
justice,  who  keep  for  themselves,  carry  away,  or  turn  to  their  own 
use  the  property  of  their  employers  :  all  who  ask  more  material  or 
stuff  than  is  necessary  for  the  work  they  have  to  perform  :  all  who, 
in  the  discharge  of  their  duty,  culpably  lack  activity  or  care  ;  who  do 
not  what  they  could  and  should  do,  but  idle  away  their  time,  which 
in  truth  is  no  longer  theirs,  but  his  who  employs  them  ;  all  who 
are  wanting  in  care  of  their  master's  property,  who  let  them  be 
robbed  and  plundered  without  at  least  warning  them  of  the  injury. 
They  are  also  highly  blameworthy,  who  through  negligence  break, 
damage  or  lose  the  things  confided  to  their  care. 

Are  we  to  distinguish  those  who  contract  debts  in  bad  faith  from 
the  robber  ?  No,  my  Friends  ;  from  the  moment  you  contract 
debts,  you  have  in  your  possession  the  goods  of  another,  and  if 
you  refuse  at  the  appointed  time  to  restore  them  or  the  equivalent 
agreed  upon,  you  unjustly  retain  what  does  not  belong  to  you,  and 
you  are  reputed  as  stealing  it  every  instant.  The  Holy  Ghost  says  : 
"Render  to  all  their  dues.  Owe  no  man  any  thing."f  I  speak 
here  only  of  those  who  contract  debts  in  bad  faith,  or  who  have 

*  St.  Jaraeg,  v  :  3,  4.  t  Romans,  xiii  :  7,  8. 


ON    THEFT.  279 

no  intention  of  paying  them.  An  honest  man  may,  without  any 
fault  of  his,  sometimes  find  it  impossible  to  pay  his  debts.  He 
wanted  neither  good  faith  nor  prudence,  but  misfortune  came  upon 
him  and  ruined  him.  He  has  much  to  endure,  but  his  inability  to 
satisfy  his  creditors  pains  him  more  than  all  the  rest, — he  conceals 
nothing, — explains  the  full  extent  of  his  misfortune  candidly  to 
them, — saves  up, — economizes, — spends  nothing  foolishly  or  super- 
fluously, that  he  may  be  able  one  day  to  pay  -his  debts, — he  surely 
is  not  guilty.  But  we  can  not  say  as  much  for  those  who  have  not 
the  will  to  pay  what  they  owe,  who  pay  only  because  they  can  not 
help  it,  and  only  when  they  are  compelled  to  do  so  ;  nor  for  those 
who  borrow  money,  knowing  well  that  they  will  not  be  able  to 
refund  it.  They  also  are  culpable,  who  by  their  extravagance 
render  themselves  unable  to  satisfy  their  creditors,  who  perhaps 
will  be  themselves  plunged  into  misery  in  consequence  of  the  unjust 
and  cruel  refusal  they  receive  when  they  demand  what  was  lawfully 
due  to  them.  Is  not  this  a  crying  injustice  ?  Is  it  not  simply 
robbing  one's  neighbor  ? 

It  is  also  a  sin  against  justice  and  the  law  of  God  to  receive  stolen 
goods  ;  it  is  favoring  and  encouraging  injustice,  and  whoever  acts 
thus,  becomes  an  accomplice  in  the  theft.  It  is  therefore  right  to 
say,  that  the  receiver  is  as  bad  as  the  thief.  We  also  offend  God 
when  we  buy  stolen  goods.  It  is  unlawful  to  keep  not  only  things 
known  to  have  been  stolen,  but  even  those  which  we  have  reason  to 
suspect  are  the  fruits  of  injustice  and  theft.  Say  not  then,  like 
some  people  who  are  blinded  by  cupidity :  If  I  do  not  buy  this 
stolen  property,  some  body  else  will.  This  reasoning  amounts  to 
nothing,  my  Brethren,  and  it  will  never  justify  you  in  buying  stolen 
property.  Is  it  not  the  same  as  if  you  said :  If  I  do  not  commit 
this  act  of  injustice,  another  will  ?  In  the  sight  of  God  you  are  not 
free  from  theft,  because  if  you  did  not  steal,  another  would. 

A  great  number  of  people  sin  against  justice  and  the  law  of  God 
by  the  way  they  act  when  they  find  goods  which  were  lost.  Listen 
to  what  St.  Augustine  says  :  "  You  have  found  on  the  road  a  purse 
which  contains  some  money.  This  money  is  not  yours.  You  are 
obliged  to  give  it  to  the  owner  as  soon  as  possible.  All  excuses 
are  frivolous,  and  sordid  avarice  alone  finds  reason  in  them."  Treat 
others  as  you  would  wish  to  be  treated  by  them.  Do  to  others  as 


280  SHORT    SERMONS. 

you  would  have  them  do  to  you.  If  you  lost  any  thing,  would  you 
give  it  to  the  person  who  found  it  ?  Would '  you  not,  on  the  con- 
trary, make  every  exertion  to  discover  the  finder  and  get  your 
property  back  from  him  ?  Observe  the  same  rule  with  respect  to 
your  neighbor ;  try  to  find  out  the  lawful  owner  of  what  you  have 
found,  and  restore  to  him  his  property.  But,  after  having  made  all 
the  exertions  to  find  him  which  justice  and  charity  demand,  if  you 
can  not  ascertain  to  whom  it  belongs,  what  ought  you  to  do  with 
this  object?  If  you  are  poor,  keep  it  for  yourself;  if  you  are  not 
poor,  many  authors  of  great  merit  and  weight  say,  that  it  would  be 
injustice  for  you  to  keep  it,  and  contend  that  it  must  be  applied  to 
good  and  pious  purposes  ;  other  theologians  say,  that  it  is  lawful  for 
you  to  use  such  property,  and  their  opinion  is  probable. 

These  are,  my  Brethren,  the  sins  most  frequently  committed 
against  the  Seventh  Commandment.  We  will  avoid  them  if  the 
love  of  God  and  our  neighbor  dwell  in  our  hearts, — if  w£  desire 
and  intend  to  work  out  our  salvation ;  if  we  know  how  to  content 
ourselves  with  what  God  has  given  us;  and  if  we  employ  our 
strength,  our  health  and  our  time  in  earning  an  honest  living.  If 
such  be  our  dispositions,  when  temptation  assails  us  we  will  say  to 
ourselves  :  Were  one  to  take  away  my  goods,  to  deceive  me,  destroy 
my  property,  or  approprite  to  himself  what  I  had  lost,  would  I  be 
satisfied  with  such  conduct  ?  I  certainly  would  not.  Then  I  will 
never  do  to  another  what  I  would  not  wish  others  should  do  to  me. 
May  God  remove  the  temptation  far  from  me,  that  I  may  be  reckoned 
among  the  number  of  those  whose  hands  are  clean  and  pure. 

My  Brethren,  let  us  remember  that  the  commandment  which 
forbids  us  to  steal  the  property  of  our  neighbor,  commands  us  to 
give  a  part  of  our  means  to  the  poor, — to  give  alms  to  those  who 
have  not  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  above  all,  to  help  such  as  are 
not  able  to  work  for  their  living.  Far  from  taking,  let  us  give, 
and  it  will  be  given  unto  us,  as  the  Gospel  tells  us.  Let  us  be 
sensible  to  the  wants  of  the  poor,  let  us  relieve  them  according  to 
our  means,  and  assist  them  in  their  necessities.  Hearken  to  the 
voice  of  Him  who  promises  that  a  glass  of  cold  water  given  in  His 
name  will  not  go  unrewarded.  Charity  and  "  alms-deeds  cover 
a  multitude  of  sins."  Yes,  they  will  obtain  for  you  repentance, 
pardon  and  heaven. — AMEN. 


RESTITUTION.  281 

SERMON  LVII. 

SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

RESTITUTION. 


"If  it  were  taken  away  by  stealth,  he  shall  make  the  loss  good  to  the  owner." 
EXODUS,  xxii :  12. 

You  should  bear  in  mind,  my  Brethren,  that  each,  of  the  com- 
mandments of  God  is  composed  of  two  distinct  parts, — the  one 
negative,  expressing  what  is  forbidden,  the  other  positive,  declaring 
what  is  commanded  by  the  precept.  The  negative  part  of  the 
Seventh  Commandment  forbids  theft  and  all  injustice, — the  positive 
part  commands  the  restitution  of  ill-acquired  wealth,  and  the  repar- 
ation of  all  wrong  done  to  our  neighbor's  property. 

To-day  I  intend  speaking  to  you  of  Restitution  :  I  will  explain  to 
you  its  necessity,  and  how  it  should  be  made.  May  God  in  His 
mercy  grant  that  this  instruction  sink  deep  into  your  hearts ;  for  I 
regard  it  as  one  of  the  most  important  of  all  that  we  have  to  treat. 
To  obtain  the  remission  of  other  sins,  it  is  sufficient  to  repent,  con- 
fess and  amend ;  but  with  regard  to  sins  of  theft  and  injustice,  they 
can  not  be  forgiven  and  blotted  out,  unless  the  things  which  have 
been  stolen  be  restored,  and  the  wrong  done  to  our  neighbor  be 
repaired.  Restitution  is  a  duty  so  strict  and  binding,  that  nothing 
can  dispense  us  from  it,  when  there  is  a  possibility  of  fulfilling  it : 
the  efficacy  of  the  sacraments  and  the  power  of  the  priests  can  not 
release  from  the  obligations  of  justice.  A  man  has  laid  unjust  hands 
on  the  property  of  another,  and  this  sin  oppresses  his  conscience ; 
hence  he  fasts, — practices  mortification, — prays, — goes  often  to  cast 
himself  at  the  feet  of  the  priest  in  the  sacred  tribunal  of  penance, — 
gives  abundant  alms,  but  still  he  is  unwilling  to  let  go  his  grasp  on 
his  neighbor's  goods,  and  will  not  make  Restitution.  His  prayers, 
his  alms  and  his  confession  avail  him  nothing.  "  Who  shall  ascend 
24 


282  SHORT    SERMONS. 

into  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  or  who  shall  stand  in  His  holy 
place?  The  innocent  in  hands,  who  hath  not  sworn  deceitfully 
to  his  neighbor,"  says  the  Holy  Ghost.*  The  prophet  Ezechiel, 
tells  us  also,  "that  if  the  wicked  man  restore  the  pledge,  and 
render  what  he  had  robbed,  and  walk  in  the  commandments  of  life, 
and  do  no  unjust  thing ;  he  shall  surely  live,  and  shall  not  die."f 
Another  prophet,  Habacuc,  says,  "  woe  to  him  that  heapeth  together 
that  which  is  not  his  own,"];  for,  if  he  dies  thus  loaded  with 
the  goods  of  others  which  he  has  unjustly  acquired,  his  soul  shall 
never  see  God.  "If,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "they  who  have  not 
exercised  works  of  mercy  toward  their  brethren,  shall  be  condemned 
to  eternal  fire,  as  our  Saviour  assures  us,  they  also  who  have  robbed 
their  neighbors  of  their  property  and  are  unwilling  to  make  Resti- 
tution, shall  be  condemned  to  the  same  fire  and  the  same  torments. 
Nothing  defiled  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  The 
Holy  Ghost  calls  injustice  "thick  clay,"  in  order  to  show  us  how 
difficult  it  is  to  get  rid  of  it,  and  the  great  struggle  the  unjust  man 
must  undergo  before  he  decides  on  restoring  his  ill-gotten  goods. 
It  is  difficult  to  make  Restitution  ;  nevertheless,  my  Brethren,  God 
demands  it  of  you ;  you  must  strip  your  soul  of  the  riches  of 
iniquity,  if  you  wish  that  Jesus  Christ  should  say  to  you  as  He 
once  said  to  Zacheus  :  "  this  day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house  :" 
because,  my  Brethren,  on  that  day  its  master  restored  his  unjust 
riches,  he  found  the  salvation  and  life  of  his  soul,  the  only  true 
riches  which  followed  him  into  eternity,  and  which  will  never  be 
taken  away. 

But  how  must  Restitution  be  made  ?  Who  ought  to  be  the  first 
to  make  it  ?  He  who  has  committed  the  theft  or  done  any  thing 
prejudicial  to  his  neighbor.  If  he  refuse  or  find  it  impossible  to  do 
so,  then  all  those  who  have  taken  a  uirect  part  in  the  guilty  action 
are  bound  to  make  Restitution ;  such  as  they  who,  by  their  advice 
or  solicitations,  have  induced  the  guilty  party  to  commit  the  crime  ; 
they  who  procured  the  means  and  helped  him  to  commit  it,  or  who 
bought  or  furnished  the  necessary  instruments  ;  those  who  protected 
or  harbored  the  thief,  or  who  received  or  purchased  the  stolen  goods. 
All  these  have  been  a  cause  that  their  neighbor  has  been  deprived 

*  Psalms,  auciii :  3,  4.         f  Ezechiel,  xxxiii :  15.         $  Uabacuc,  ii :  G. 


RESTITUTION.  283 

of  something  belonging  to  him,  all  are  therefore  jointly  and  sever- 
ally, or,  as  it  is  called,  by  solidarity,  obliged  to  restore  the  unjustly 
acquired  property,  to  repair  the  evil  which  they  helped  to  do,  and 
to  make  good  the  damage  which  their  neighbor  has  thereby  suffered. 
This  is  the  advantage  which  a  man  gains  by  participating  in  an 
unjust  act !  This  is  the  sad  fruit  which  he  gathers  from  his  criminal 
conduct !  How  foolish  then  is  he  who  forsakes  the  path  of  justice 
and  probity  !  He  hoped  to  gain  a  great  deal  by  affording  an  asylum 
and  assistance  to  the  thief,  by  buying  at  a  low  price  stolen  goods, 
but  he  did  not  consider  that  by  these  acts  he  took  upon  himself  the 
obligation  of  restoring  perhaps  three  or  four  times  as  much  as  he 
gained  by  his  violation  of  the  law  of  God. 

A  thief  must  restore  to  the  owner  the  very  object  which  he  stole 
from  him.  If  it  no  longer  exists,  or  if  it  has  become  useless  or 
greatly  damaged,  he  must  restore  another  of  equal  value,  or  give 
its  equivalent  in  money.  He  must,  moreover,  compensate  for  the 
losses  and  repair  the  wrongs  which  have  accrued  to  the  lawful  owner 
in  consequence  of  the  injustice  done  him.  He  who  is  tempted  to 
take  away  the  substance  of  his  fellow-creature,  ought  seriously  to 
ponder  over  these  things.  Let  him  say  to  himself:  If  I  steal,  I 
must  make  Restitution, — I  must  compensate  for  all  the  losses  which 
my  criminal  conduct  has  caused, — I  must  repair  all  the  wrong  done 
to  my  neighbor  :  there  is  no  doubt  about  it,  I  must  do  all  this,  if  I 
wish  to  save  my  soul  and  attain  heaven,  for  God  declares  true  that 
saying  of  St.  Jerome  :  "If  you  die  with  your  conscience  loaded 
with  another's  wealth,  you  will  not  be  saved."  Ah  !  if  men  only 
made  these  salutary  reflections,  they  would  have  much  more  courage 
to  resist  temptation,  and  acts  of  injustice  would  be  far  less  frequent. 

Do  not  imagine  that  you  escape  from  the  great  obligation  of 
Restitution  by  promising  to  pray  for  those  whom  you  have  wronged. 
Suppose  that  a  thief  were  to  take  away  your  property,  and  instead 
of  giving  it  back  to  you  would  promise  to  pray  fervently  for  you, 
would  you  not  say  to  him  :  "Away  with  your  hypocritical  prayers, 
and  give  me  back  what  you  stole  from  me  ?"  Another  will  say  : 
"It  is  true,  I  possess  what  does  not  belong  to  me, — but  I  give 
alms."  The  Holy  Ghost  answers  you:  "Give  alms  from  your 
own  property."  What  you  have  stolen  is  not  yours,  it  belongs  to 
him  from  whom  you  have  taken  it.  You  give  alms,  you  say, — "do 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

you  wish  then,"  asks  St.  Augustine,  "to  treat  God  as  if  He  were 
a  corrupt  Judge,  who  might  be  bribed  by  a  present  ?  If  you  do, 
you  have  a  very  false  and  very  injurious  idea  of  God.  He  detests 
those  gifts  which  are  the  fruits  of  injustice,  and  all  such  alms  are 
more  capable  of  exciting  than  of  appeasing  His  just  indignation." 
But  I  do  not  know  to  whom  I  have  to  make  Restitution, — I  can 
not  find  out  the  lawful  owner  of  the  goods  I  unjustly  possess. 
Have  you  made  in  good  faith  all  the  search  you  could  for  him  ? 
If  you  have,  and  still  did  not  discover  him,  then  give  to  the  poor 
what  you  have  unjustly  acquired,  and  this  will  cover  your  sin.  But, 
understand  well,  that  it  is  a  debt  which  you  discharge,  and  not 
an  alms  which  you  bestow ;  pay  therefore  your  debt  in  full.  But 
it  will  ruin  my  family  if  I  make  this  Restitution.  My  dear  Brother, 
it  is  ten  thousand  times  better  for  you  and  your  family  to  live  poor 
in  this  life  than  to  be  eternally  miserable  in  the  life  to  come.  I 
can  not  restore, — I  am  a  poor  man  myself.  You  may  not  be  able  to 
repair  all  your  injustice,  but  can  you  not  at  least  give  back  a  part  of 
what  you  have  taken  from  your  neighbor  ?  No ;  I  possess  nothing, 
— I  am  miserably  poor.  If  such  be  really  the  case,  you  are  free 
from  the  obligation  of  Restitution.  One  must  be  satisfied  to  lose 
his  rights  when  his  debtor  has  nothing  to  give.  But,  my  Brethren, 
you  should  at  least  pray  for  those  who  have  suffered  by  your  in- 
justice, and  should  form  a  firm  resolution  to  make  Restitution 
whenever  it  will  be  in  your  power  to  do  so.  In  the  mean  time, 
God  will  be  satisfied  with  your  good  will ;  it  suffices,  provided  it 
be  efficacious,  that  is  to  say,  if  you  exert  yourselves, — if  you 
retrench  all  unnecessary  expenses  and  make  every  effort  to  amass 
enough  wherewith  to  satisfy  your  obligation.  But  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  you  make  no  sacrifice,  if  you  make  unnecessary  expenses,  lay 
out  your  earnings  in  pleasures,  in  vanity,  in  dress,  you  commit  a 
new  act  of  injustice,  since  you  spend  money  which  is  not  your 
own, — money  which  belongs  to  your  neighbor:  this  is  to  insult 
God  and  those  to  whom  you  are  indebted ;  it  is  to  prolong  and 
multiply  your  iniquities,  and  to  render  yourselves  more  and  more 
unworthy  of  pardon. 

I  must  now  tell  you  the  easiest  and  most  convenient  way  of 
making  Restitution.  It  may  happen  that  it  is  not  necessary  for 
you  to  restore  the  whole  at  once ;  it  is  also  not  necessary  for  you  to 


FALSE    TESTIMONY.  285 

compromise  your  reputation.  You  may  then  restore  at  different 
times,  and  in  such  a  way  that  your  honor  will  not  thereby  suffer. 
For  example,  you  can  deposit  a  part  of  the  sum  in  a  place  where 
you  are  morally  certain  that  the  lawful  owner  will  recover  it ;  or,  if 
you  prefer  it,  you  may  ask  your  confessor  to  take  charge  of  the 
goods  and  restore  them  for  you  to  him  to  whom  they  justly  belong. 
The  obligation  of  Restitution,  no  doubt,  presents  some  diffi- 
culties,— causes  some  trouble.  But  you  must  remember  that  it 
arises  from  your  sin,  and  that  it  is  your  sin  alone  yon  must  blame. 
Accept  all  the  trouble  then  as  penance  for  your  bad  actions, — and 
suffer  a  little  in  this  world  that  you  may  not  have  to  suffer  a  great 
deal  in  the  next.  Suffer  that  you  may  merit  that  immortal  inheri- 
tance which  has  not  been  acquired  by  gold  or  silver,  but  which  has 
been  purchased  for  you  by  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Ah  ! 
let  not  the  interests  of  your  soul  prevail  over  your  worldly  interests. 
Wrong  nobody, — repair  your  injustices, — labor  for  heaven, — there 
you  will  be  rich, — there  you  will  be  happy  forever. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LVIII. 

EIGHTH  COMMANDMENT. 

FALSE    TESTIMONY 


"  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neighbor." — EXODUS,  xx :  16. 

OUR  divine  Lawgiver,  after  having,  in  the  Fifth  Commandment, 
watched  with  a  tender  solicitude  over  the  preservation  of  our  lives  ; 
after  having  in  the  seventh  protected  our  goods  and  property, 
undertakes  in  the  Eighth  the  defense  of  our  reputation  and  our 
honor,  those  riches  often  dearer  than  life  itself, — the  loss  of  which 
is  capable  of  poisoning  all  the  enjoyments  of  earth.  Were  this 
Eighth  Commandment  faithfully  observed,  distrust,  dissimulation 
and  hypocrisy  would  be  banished  from  society,  and  we  would  see 


-S  H  O  li  T     !i  K  K  M  O  H  8  . 

revived  among  us  truth,  intimate  confidence  and  good  faith,  which 
would  make  the  earth  an  anticipated  paradise.  What  then  does 
this  commandment  of  God  forbid  ?  It  forbids  not  only  False  Testi- 
mony, but  also  calumny  and  detraction,  rash  judgments  and  lies  ;  in 
a  word,  all  sins  of  the  tongue  or  of  thought  which  injures  our  neigh- 
bor's honor  and  reputation.  To-day,  I  will  speak  to  you  of  false 
testimony. 

What  is  it  to  bear  false  witness  against  our  neighbor  ?  It  is  to 
make  a  false  statement  against  our  neighbor  before  a  court  of  justice, 
after  having  taken  the  oath  which  is  usually  required  of  witnesses. 
To  depose  falsely  is  never  lawful ;  it  is  always  a  sin,  whether  the  testi- 
mony turn  to  the  injury  or  to  the  advantage  of  our  neighbor;  it  is  a 
mortal  sin,  including  the  sin  of  perjury,  the  matter  of  which  is  always 
mortal.  The  man  who  bears  false  witness  against  his  neighbor, 
commits  a  three-fold  sin ;  he  is  guilty  of  perjury,  since  he  testifies 
falsely,  after  swearing  to  tell  the  truth ;  he  is  guilty  of  injustice, 
since  he  wrongs  his  neighbor,  toward  whom  he  is  bound  to  observe 
the  laws  of  justice  and  of  charity  ;  he  is  guilty  of  lying,  since  he 
affirms  or  denies  a  thing  contrary  to  what  he  knows  to  be  true. 
Moreover,  the  man  who  swears  falsely  sins  against  three  different 
persons  ;  against  God,  whose  holy  and  divine  presence  he  despises 
by  calling  upon  Him  to  witness  a  falsehood  ;  against  the  judge, 
whom  he  insults  in  deceiving  him  by  a  lie ;  against  the  adverse 
party,  whom  he  endeavors  to  have  unjustly  condemned.  Hence, 
there  is  no  nation,  however  barbarous,  that  has  not  held  in  horror 
this  detestable  crime,  so  odious  in  the  sight  of  God.  The  Holy 
Spirit  says:  "  Six  things  there  are  which  the  Lord  hateth  and  the 
seventh  his  soul  detesteth :  Haughty  eyes,  a  lying  tongue,  hands  that 
shed  innocent  blood,  a  heart  that  deviseth  wicked  plots,  feet  that  are 
swift  to  run  into  mischief,  a  deceitful  witness  that  uttereth  lies,  and 
him  that  soweth  discord  among  brethren.*  He  that  justifies  the 
wicked,  and  he  that  condemns  the  just,  both  are  abominable  before 
Gocl.f  A  man  that  bears  false  witness  against  his  neighbor,  is  like 
a  dart  and  a  sword  and  a  sharp  arrow. "J 

It  is  the  Almighty  God  himself  who  appointed  the  trial  by  wit- 
ness as  the  rule  to  be  followed  in  the  judgments  of  men ;  it  was 


*  Proverbs,  vi :  16—19.  f  Idem,  xvii:  15.  *  Idem,  xxv:  18. 


FALSE    TESTIMONY.  287 

God  who  required  that  every  sentence  should  be  determined  and 
decided  upon  the  deposition  of  two  or  three  witnesses,*  as  we  read 
in  the  book  of  Deuteronomy.  It  is  the  witness  then  who  determines 
the  sentence  deciding  the  property,  the  fortune,  the  honor,  and  even 
the  life  of  his  brethren.  How  great  and  awful  the  responsibility 
which  rests  upon  him  !  But  what  must  we  say  of  the  false  witness  ? 
Not  only  is  he  obliged  to  satisfy  the  justice  of  God  by  a  penance 
proportionate  to  the  enormity  of  his  crime,  he  is  also  bound  to 
repair  all  the  wrong  which  he  has  by  his  malice  caused  to  his  neigh- 
bor ;  nay,  even  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  to  contradict  what  he  had 
falsely  sworn,  if  the  reparation  can  not  be  otherwise  effected,  and 
if  there  is  room  to  hope  that,  by  confessing  the  truth,  the  accused 
party  will  be  acquitted  and  his  innocence  recognized  ;  for,  where 
the  danger  is  equal  between  two  persons,  the  condition  of  the  inno- 
cent is  preferable  to  that  of  the  guilty,  whose  crime  is  the  cause  of 
his  difficulty.  The  false  -witness  is  obliged  to  repair  the  wrong 
which  he  has  through  malice  caused,  even  though  he  is  not  himself 
benefited  by  his  injustice.  His  cooperation  in  the  unjust  act  by  his 
false  testimony  is  enough  to  condemn  him  ;  that  alone  renders  him 
most  culpable  before  God,  and  places  him  under  the  sad  necessity 
of  repairing  all  the  evil  which  has  arisen  from  his  act.  If  however 
his  oath,  though  contrary  to  truth,  is  the  result  of  ignorance  or  of 
involuntary  error,  he  is  not  bound  to  reparation,  since  he  is  not  in 
this  case  justly  chargeable  with  guilt. 

If  therefore,  my  Brethren,  it  happens  that  you  are  called  on  as 
witnesses  in  any  law-suit,  remember  that  you  are  going  to  swear 
before  God  to  "tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 
truth."  Tell  therefore  precisely  what  you  know  and  just  as  you 
know  it,  as  true  what  you  believe  to  be  true,  as  doubtful  what 
seems  to  you  doubtful,  nothing,  if  you  know  nothing  about  the 
matter;  but  whatever  you  tell  let  it  be  always  with  rectitude,  frank- 
ness and  sincerity.  Let  neither  hatred,  or  friendship,  or  compassion, 
or  fear,  the  inclination  to  please  any  man,  or  the  hope  of  sordid 
lucre,  presents  or  threats,  ever  induce  you  to  swerve  from  your  duty 
and  violate  truth.  Remember  that  the  eye  of  God  is  upon  you, 
and  that  False  Testimony  is  an  abominable  crime. 


Deuteronomy,  xix :  15. 


288  SHORT    SERMONS. 

My  Brethren,  you  admit  that  False  Testimony  is  an  awful  sin, — 
an  abomination  before  God.  Can  there  be  any  crime  more  shock- 
ing ?  there  can,  my  Brethren ;  the  crime  committed  by  him  who 
brings  a  false  accusation  of  a  grievous  nature  against  his  neighbor's 
character.  To  accuse  one's  neighbor  falsely,  is  to  charge  him  with 
a  criminal  action  of  which  he  is  innocent.  The  man  who  commits 
this  crime,  strikes  a  mortal  blow  at  his  neighbor's  honor  and  repu- 
tation ;  he  abuses  most  detestably  the  authority  confided  to  judges, 
and  dishonors  the  sanctuary  of  justice.  And  what  is  the  source  of 
this  dark  offence?  Sordid  interest,  self  love,  avarice,  wounded 
pride  or  some  other  passion  equally  shameful.  Believe  me,  God 
detests  this  crime,  and  he  who  commits  it  will  not  escape  His 
almighty  vengeance. 

The  Sacred  Scriptures  furnish,  in  the  history  of  Susanna,  a 
striking  instance  of  the  hatred  which  Almighty  God  bears  to  False 
Testimony.  Two  wicked  old  men  had,  by  a  most  calumnious  accu- 
sation, caused  this  holy  daughter  of  Juda  to  be  comdemned  to  death. 
But  God  in  vindication  of  her  innocence  inspired  the  prophet 
Daniel,  then  only  a  youth,  to  deny  the  justice  of  her  sentence  ;  who 
being  permitted  to  examine  the  two  witnesses,  clearly  convicted 
them  of  falsehood.  The  sentence  was  reversed,  and  the  false 
accusers  were  forced  to  undergo  the  death  they  had  prepared  for 
the  chaste  Susanna. 

How  then  should  you  act  when  compelled  by  just  and  lawful 
motives  to  sue  your  neighbor  ?  No  doubt,  if  he  has  done  you 
grievous  wrong,  you  do  not  sin  by  seeking  justice,  for  God  permits 
you  to  do  so.  But  take  care,  while  giving  your  testimony,  that  you 
do  not  fail  in  truth.  Do  not  exaggerate, — do  not  let  yourself  be 
carried  away  by  anger,  resentment  or  envy.  Close  your  heart 
against  avarice,  the  detestable  love  of  gold,  —  which  so  often 
induces  men  to  forge  false  notes  and  deeds,  or  to  alter  true  ones, 
thus  becoming  guilty  of  the  dreadful  crime  of  forgery,  a  species  of 
False  Testimony  inexpressibly  odious  to  God. 

Profit,  my  Brethren,  by  this  instruction ;  I  regard  it  as  one  of 
the  utmost  importance.  Never  bear  false  witness  against  your 
neighbor ;  if  you  do,  you  act  against  the  great  precept  of  charity, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  warns  us  that  God  will  not  let  go  unpunished 
the  man  who  commits  this  crime.  Never  cease  to  love  and  practice 


DETRACTION.  289 

the  beautiful  virtue  of  justice.  Look  on  your  neighbor  as  another 
self;  try  to  be  useful  to  him, — condole  with  him  in  his  misfortunes 
and  sorrows,  and  rejoice  with  him  in  his  good  success.  Acting 
thus,  God  will  be  glorified  in  your  life, — He  will  love  you,  and  will 
one  day  bring  you  to  heaven,  there  to  recompense  the  virtues  you 
will  have  practiced  on  earth. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LIX. 

EIGHTH   COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

DETRACTION. 


"Nor  railers,  nor  extortioners   shall  possess  the  kingdom  of  God." — 1   CO- 
RINTHIANS, vi :  10. 

NOTHING  is  more  common  in  the  world  than  Detraction.  The  sin 
is  so  easily  committed,  and  the  tongue,  which  is  the  cause  of  it  so 
readily  set  in  motion,  that  the  habit  of  speaking  evil  against  another 
is  hard  to  overcome.  The  Apostle  St.  James,  speaking  of  this  vice, 
says:  "Every  kind  of  beasts,  and  of  birds,  and  of  serpents,  and 
of  the  rest,  is  tamed,  and  hath  been  tamed  by  mankind ;  but  the 
tongue  no  man  can  tame;  a  restless  evil,  full  of  deadly  poison. 
The  tongue  is  a  fire,  a  world  of  iniquity,  being  set  on  fire  by  hell."* 
A  fire,  my  Brethren,  which  burns  without  consuming,  which  acts 
only  on  souls,  and  which  blackens  what  it  can  not  destroy.  Let 
no  word  therefore  ever  fall  from  our  lips  without  being  carefully 
weighed  and  examined.  Yet,  how  numerous  are  the  faults  com- 
mitted by  our  unguarded  tongue !  We  may  say  that  Detraction 
is  almost  a  universal  vice.  But,  the  more  common  the  sin  is,  the 
greater  is  the  necessity  for  combating  it.  This  is  what  I  propose 
to  do  in  this  instruction. 


*  St.  James,  iii :  6,  7,  8, 
25 


290  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Detraction  is  the  unjust  defamation  of  our  neighbor.  It  includes 
suspicions,  doubts,  rash  judgments,  slander  and  calumny.  It  is 
concerning  the  two  last  named  sins  that  I  wish  to  speak  to  you 
to-day  ;  but  before  making  known  to  you  their  baseness  and  enor- 
mity, I  must  tell  you  in  what  they  essentially  consist. 

What  is  calumny  ?  and  what  is  Detraction  ?  To  calumniate  is  to 
attribute  to  our  neighbor  faults  which  he  has  not  committed,  or 
defects  and  vices  to  which  he  is  not  subject.  To  detract  is  to 
reveal  without  necessity  the  hidden  faults,  vices  or  defects  of  our 
neighbor ;  it  is  to  divulge  blameable  things  which  our  neighbor  has 
indeed  done,  but  which  would  have  remained  secret  or  been  but 
little  known.  Those  people  deceive  themselves,  who  imagine  that 
they  do  not  sin  when  they  go  about  relating  whatever  evil  they  know 
concerning  their  neighbors,  because  what  they  say  happens  to  be 
true.  Such  a  person  has  fallen  into  sin, — that  man  has  been  guilty 
of  theft, — this  family  do  not  live  in  peace, — the  husband  and  wife 
are  constantly  quarreling.  And  because  these  things  are  true,  you 
believe  that  you  commit  no  sin  when  you  publish  them  to  others. 
Alas !  what  enmities,  hatreds,  disputes  and  law-suits  are  the  de- 
plorable consequences  of  these  evil  reports  !  And  is  it  no  sin  to 
cause  such  evils  ?.  My  Brother,  you  are  laboring  under  a  delusion. 
Do  you  not  hear  the  voice  of  charity  saying  to  you :  Do  unto 
others  as  you  wish  them  to  do  to  you, — never  say  of  another  what 
you  would  not  be  willing  that  they  should  say  of  you  ;  never  speak 
of  your  neighbor  without  necessity,  or  when  you  have  something 
good  to  say  about  him.  "  If  any  man  think  himself  to  be  religious," 
says  St.  James,  "not  bridling  his  tongue,  but  deceiving  his  own 
heart,  this  man's  religion  is  vain."*  They  therefore  sin  who  detract 
their  neighbor, — they  sin  both  against  charity  and  justice.  "  A 
good  name  is  better  than  great  riches,"  says  the  wise  man.f  "Take 
care  of  a  good  name  ;  for  this  shall  continue  with  thee,  more  than 
a  thousand  treasures  precious  and  great. "J  How  highly  indeed 
does  the  honest  man  value  his  reputation !  His  good  name  is  even 
dearer  to  him  than  his  life ;  nay,  he  would  sacrifice  a  thousand 
lives,  rather  than  live  dishonored.  And  yet  the  detractor  robs  him 
of  this  dearly  prized  treasure.  Is  he  not  then  more  criminal  than 

*  St.  James,  i :  26.        t  Proverbs,  xxii :  1.        J  Ecclesiasticus,  xli:  15. 


DETRACTION.  291 

the  thief  who  steals  his  money.  When  the  robber  is  discovered,  he 
is  punished  according  to  the  measure  of  his  guilt ;  but  the  detractor 
never  receives  from  men  the  punishment  his  odious  crime  deserves. 
Yet,  wait  awhile, — God  will  one  day  give  him  the  full  meed  of 
chastisement ;  He  himself  says  to  us  :  "  The  slanderer  is  an  abomin- 
ation to  men,  and  an  enemy  of  God.  The  evil  whisperer  and 
double-tongued  is  accursed,  for  he  hath  troubled  many  that  were  at 
peace.  If  a  serpent  bite  in  silence,  he  is  nothing  better  that  back- 
biteth  secretly.  The  calumniator  shall  never  see  God."  Never 
will  God  admit  into  His  kingdom  the  man  loaded  with  the  crime 
of  a  triple  homicide, — and  such  in  truth  the  detractor  is.  He  has 
inflicted  death  on  his  own  soul  by  the  sin  which  he  committed  ;  he 
has  given  a  mortal  blow  to  his  victim,  by  taking  away  his  repu- 
tation, which  is  his  civil  life,  or  by  the  hatred  which  he  excites  in 
his  heart,  and  which  causes  him  to  lose  the  spiritual  life  of  grace ;  in 
fine,  he  inflicts  death  on  those  in  whose  presence  he  detracts,  by  the 
part  which  they  ordinarily  take  in  his  Detraction.  How  great  the 
wrong  done  to  his  neighbor  by  him  who  gives  himself  up  to 
Detraction !  What  then  should  a  man  do  to  obtain  the  pardon  of 
God,  if  he  has  unfortunately  fallen  into  this  crime  ? 

He  must  restore  what  he  has  taken  away,  and  repair  the  damage 
which  he  has  caused.  If  he  has  calumniated  his  brother  he  must 
contradict  what  he  has  said, — he  must  retract  the  slander ;  there  is 
no  middle  course.  If  he  has  simply  detracted,  the  difficulty  is 
much  greater.  For,  since  the  evil  which  he  has  imputed  to  his 
neighbor  is  true,  he  can  not  say  that  it  was  not  so,  as  this  would  be 
a  lie.  He  must  therefore  resort  to  other  means ;  he  must  speak 
well  of  the  person  whom  he  has  reviled,  the  more  especially  if  he 
has  reason  to  believe  that  this  method  of  repairing  the  evil  is  more 
agreeable  to  him,  and  in  order  not  to  renew  the  recollection  of  his 
fault.  If  the  Detraction  or  calumny,  beside  the  wrong  it  has  done 
to  his  neighbor's  reputation,  has  caused  other  damages  ;  for  instance, 
if  it  has  occassioned  the  loss  of  employment  or  work,  this  loss  must 
also  be  repaired  :  it  happens  through  the  detractor's  fault,  and  it  is 
the  detractor's  duty  to  make  reparation  for  it. 

It  is  therefore  not  without  good  reason  that  God  orders  us  to  put 
a  bridle  on  our  tongue  as  we  would  on  a  savage  beast.  This  bridle 
may  be  broken ;  then  let  this  beast  be  placed  within  an  inclosure, 


292  SHORT   SERMONS. 

and  lest  he  should  escape,  let  a  good  lock  be  placed  upon  the  door. 
Along  with  all  this  let  us  set  a  sentinel  to  keep  continual  watch, 
and  place  upon  our  lips  a  guard  of  circumspection.  We  may 
imagine  ourselves  now  to  be  well  defended  against  the  temptation 
of  Detraction,  nevertheless,  we  will  fall  into  the  evil,  unless  we 
remove  far  from  us  the  causes  which  produce  it.  And  what  are  the 
ordinary  causes  of  Detraction  ?  Interest,  pride,  jealousy  and  hatred. 
Can  there  be  any  causes  more  contemptible  ?  How  justly  then  has 
the  Holy  Ghost  forbidden  us  to  frequent  the  company  of  detractors. 
But  is  it  never  allowed  to  tell  the  evil  which  we  know  of  our 
neighbor  ?  My  Brethren,  it  is  not  always  a  sin  to  make  known 
the  defects  and  vices  of  another.  Thus  we  can  and  we  ought  to 
make  known  the  evil  which  we  know  of  a  man,  for  the  benefit  of 
another  who  deserves  to  be  preferred  to  him  whose  fault  we  divulge. 
For  example,  it  is  not  Detraction  to  inform  a  superior  of  the  faults 
of  his  inferiors,  that  he  may  correct  them  and  prevent  the  disorders 
to  which  these  faults  may  give  rise.  It  is  not  Detraction  to  tell  the 
truth  to  a  man  who  asks  information  about  a  servant  whom  he 
desires  to  engage,  about  laborers  whom  he  wishes  to  employ,  or 
about  a  person  with  whom  he  has  some  intention  of  contracting 
marriage.  Neither  is  it  Detraction  to  expose  the  villain,  who  tries 
by  flattery  to  ingratiate  himself  with  an  honest  man,  that  he  may 
deceive  and  dupe  him.  But  in  any  case  always  speak  of  the  evil 
with  regret,  with  circumspection,  without  exaggeration  ;  exactly  as 
it  is,  and  as  you  know  it  to  be,  and  only  to  those  persons  whose 
interest  it  is  to  be  made  acquainted  with  it.  My  Brethren,  refrain 
from  inquiring  into  the  conduct  of  your  neighbor,  for  you  are  not 
permitted  to  scrutinize  the  sentiments,  the  intentions,  the  actions  of 
your  brother,  or  to  make  efforts  to  find  out  what  he  wishes  to  keep 
secret.  Would  you  be  pleased  at  a  person  inquiring  into  your 
faults  with  a  view  to  publish  them  to  the  world?  Surely  not. 
Preserve  then  a  charitable  silence  in  regard  to  the  imperfections  of 
your  neighbor ;  God  wishes  and  desires  you  to  bury  this  secret  in 
your  heart.  The  holy  king,  David,  hated  Detraction,  and  he  was 
happy  in  being  able  to  say  of  himself,  that  he  never  sat  in  the 
company  of  defamers,  and  that  he  never  heard  them  but  to  oppose 
their  fury  and  cover  them  with  shame.  When  therefore  you  happen 
to  find  yourself  in  the  company  of  those  who  speak  ill  of  their 


EVIL    SUSPICIONS.  293 

\ 

neighbors,  how  should  you  act  ?  You  must  carefully  avoid  taking 
pleasure  in  their  slander  or  Detraction, — you  must,  neither  by  word 
or  sign,  approve  in  the  least  their  conduct.  If  it  is  your  superior 
whom  you  hear  detracting,  testify  by  your  silence  that  his  discourse 
displeases  you.  If  it  is  an  equal,  endeavor  to  change  the  conver- 
sation, or  beg  of  him  to  discontinue  it,  and  defend  your  neighbor, 
as  far  as  possible,  by  giving  proofs  of  his  innocence.  If  it  is  an 
inferior,  you  are  bound  to  impose  silence  upon  him.  In  a  word, 
you  must  practice  the  great  precept  of  charity :  "Do  unto  others 
what  you  would  wish  that  they  should  do  to  you."  But,  is  it  not 
true  that  we  desire  that,  in  our  absence,  charitable  people  would 
kindly  and  courageously  stand  up  in  defense  of  our  reputation. 
Let  us  therefore  act  in  the  same  way  toward  our  brethren. 

Ah !  Lord,  put  a  bridle  on  our  tongues  and  a  guard  of  circum- 
spection on  our  lips.  Preserve  our  hearts  from  guile,  and  fill  them 
with  discretion,  truth  and  charity.  Permit  not  our  tongues  to  utter 
those  malicious  words  which  strike  alike  him  who  speaks  them,  him 
who  hears  them,  and  him  against  whom  they  are  spoken.  May  we 
rather,  by  the  wisdom  of  our  conversations,  merit  the  great  happi- 
ness of  praising  and  blessing  Thee  for  everlasting  ages. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LX. 

EIGHTH  COMMANDMENT.— (CONTINUED.) 

EVIL  SUSPICIONS  AND  RASH  JUDGMENTS. 


"  Judge  not,  and  you  shall  not  be  judged." — ST.  LUKE,  vi :  37. 

PERFECTLY  to  fulfill  the  Eighth  Commandment  of  God,  it  is  not 
enough  to  abstain  from  all  calumny  and  detraction ;  we  must  also 
take  care  not  to  suspect  our  neighbor  unjustly,  not  to  put  a  bad 
interpretation  on  his  actions,  and  not  to  judge  him  rashly.  Never- 
theless, it  must  be  confessed,  these  sins  are  very  common  among 


294  SHORT    SERMONS. 

men ;  nay,  even  among  Christians,  who  ought  to  love  one  another 
like  brothers.  To  form  Evil  Suspicions  and  Rash  Judgments,  are 
faults  contrary  alike  to  charity  and  justice.  God  grant,  my  Breth- 
ren, that  I  inspire  you  with  a  salutary  resolution  of  flying  these 
sins. 

What  is  a  rash  judgment?  It  is  a  bold,  precipitate  judgment, 
formed  interiorly,  to  the  disadvantage  of  our  neighbor,  without  any 
lawful  reason.  It  differs  from  mere  suspicion,  which  consists  in 
conceiving  too  lightly  a  bad  opinion  of  one's  neighbor  without  how- 
ever being  positively  certain  of  it.  An  example  will  serve  to  make 
my  meaning  clearer.  You  find  out  that  you  have  been  robbed, 
and  you  make  up  your  mind  to  watch  for  the  thief  till  daybreak. 
It  happens  that  some  man  stops  before  your  house, — and  you  begin 
to  think  that  he  is  the  person  who  robbed  you.  As  yet,  this  is  but 
a  simple  suspicion.  But,  in  place  of  rejecting  it,  you  entertain  it, — 
you  suffer  it  to  grow  strong  in  your  mind,  all  the  while  resting  on 
nought  but  light  appearances.  This  suspicion  is  bad,  for  you  have 
not  sufficiently  solid  grounds  for  lawfully  suspecting  the  probity 
of  this  man.  At  last  you  believe  and  feel  convinced  that  he  is  the 
thief : — you  pass  a  rash  judgment,  for  you  have  not  sufficient  reason, 
you  have  not  a  motive  sufficiently  strong  to  determine  a  prudent 
man.  Rash  judgment  in  matters  of  moment  is  a  mortal  sin  when 
it  is  fully  deliberate ;  for  it  grievously  wounds  the  reputation  of 
another,  and  consequently,  justice. 

We  have  no  right  to  do  to  another  what  we  are  unwilling  to 
suffer  from  others.  But  who  among  us  would  be  willing  to  have 
his  actions  judged,  as  he  undertakes  to  judge  those  of  others  ?  Who 
would  be  willing  to  have  a  bad  interpretation  put  on  his  conduct,  as 
he  dares  to  ill-interpret  the  conduct  of  his  neighbor  ?  Every  man 
has  a  natural  right  to  our  esteem  as  long  as  he  has  not  committed 
a  bad  action, — one  which  we  can  neither  defend  nor  excuse.  We 
are  not  permitted  to  suspect  his  virtue  and  his  honesty,  or  to  pass  a 
disadvantageous  judgment  on  him  before  we  have  acquired  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  sentiments  of  his  heart, — and  that  we  know  for  a 
certainty  the  intention  which  directs  him,  the  end  which  he  proposes 
to  himself  to  gain,  and  the  motives  which  actuate  him  to  do  this 
action  or  omit  this  duty.  You  entertain  a  suspicion  about  your 
neighbor, — you  judge  and  pronounce  that  such  a  man  is  not  trust- 


EVIL    SUSPICIONS.  295 

worthy, — is  unjust, — such  another  is  a  spendthrift  and  libertine,  and 
that  a  third  is  a  miser  and  usurer ;  but,  remember  that  it  is  not 
enough  for  you  to  have  seen  a  man  committing  a  guilty  action,  or 
that  you  learn  from  some  evil  report  that  he  has  done  so  ;  you  must 
be  certain  that  it'  was  not  committed  without  reflection,  without  pre- 
meditation, by  surprise,  that  he  has  not  repented  for  it,  has  not  been 
converted,  and  that  there  still  reigns  in  him  the  sad  will  of  con- 
tinuing to  live  in  disorder  and  crime.  But,  you  say  to  me,  I  can 
not  know  this  : — that  is  true,  for  these  are  things  which  take  place 
in  the  heart  of  man, — and  it  is  not  given  to  you  to  look  into 
the  heart  of  your  neighbor.  God  alone  is  the  searcher  of  hearts. 
Do  not  judge  your  neighbor  then,  since  you  may  be  deceived.  You 
would  certainly  be  much  more  apt  to  distrust  yourself,  if  you  took 
the  trouble  to  mark  down  the  number  of  times  you  really  were 
deceived  in  the  space  of  a  single  month.  You  have  seen  it,  you 
say.  Trust  not  to  mere  appearances,  to  some  indications  of  guilt. 
We  have  learned  it  from  persons  worthy  of  credit  :  Be  not  so 
hasty  in  believing  evil  of  your  neighbor,  no  matter  who  tells  you. 
Do  you  see  that  young  woman  ?  Two  old  men,  two  eminently 
honored  judges  of  Israel,  have  just  denounced  her,  and  demanded 
tliat  sentence  of  death  should  be  passed  upon  her,  asserting  that 
t^iey  caught  her  in  the  very  crime  with  which  they  charge  her. 
She  bows  her  head  in  silence ; — does  she  not  seem  to  acknowledge 
herself  guilty?  Surely,  here  at  least  is  one  you  may  consider 
criminal.  Wait, — do  not  pass  judgment  on  her ;  know  that  this 
woman  is  innocence  persecuted, — is  the  chaste  Susanna,  who  pre- 
ferred to  die,  rather  than  violate  the  holy  law  of  God.  These  two 
old  men,  in  appearance  so  respectable,  are  two  infamous  wretches, 
who,  to  revenge  the  resistance  which  the  chaste  daughter  of  Israel 
offered  to  their  abominable  design,  unjustly  accuse  her  and  seek  to 
deliver  her  into  the  executioner's  hands.  Do  you  see  that  young  man 
leaping  from  the  room  where  a  woman  in  tears  cries  for  help,  and 
shows  in  her  hand  the  cloak  which  she  said  that  she  had  torn  from 
her  vile  seducer  in  his  efforts  to  escape  ?  What  you  see  and  what 
you  hear  are  all  against  him,  but  judge  not,  for  after  all  you  may 
be  condemning  the  innocent.  In  fact,  that  young  man  is  Joseph, 
the  chaste  Joseph  who  fled  from  the  commission  of  crime  ;  and  that 
weeping  woman  is  the  guilty  wife  of  Putiphar. 


296  SHORT    SERMONS. 

You  see,  my  Brethren,  how  little  you  ought  to  trust  your  eyes  or 
your  ears ;  how  easily  appearances  deceive  us,  and  how  dangerous  it 
is  to  suspect  and  judge  your  neighbor  in  regard  by  what  you  see 
and  what  you  hear.  But  suppose  that  your  neighbor  is  truly  vicious 
and  guilty,  as  his  deeds  seem  to  prove,  is  it  permitted  you  then  to 
judge  him  ?  No,  for  our  divine  Saviour  has  absolutely  forbidden  it : 
"  Judge  not,  that  you  may  not  be  judged."*  And  the  Apostle  of 
the  Gentiles  adds :  "  Judge  not  before  the  time:  until  the  Lord  come, 
who  both  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness,  and  will 
make  manifest  the  counsels  of  the  hearts. f  Who  art  thou  that 
judgest  another  man's  servant  ?  To  his  own  master  he  standeth  or 
falleth;  and  he  shall  stand:  for  God  is  able  to  make  him  standV'J 
Therefore,  do  not  usurp  the  place  of  God,  to  whom  alone  judgni3nt 
belongs.  The  heart  of  man  is  a  sanctuary  where  God  alone  has  a 
right  to  enter ;  He  alone  can  make  known  its  hidden  movements, 
penetrate  its  secret  windings,  and  know  perfectly  what  passes  therein. 

Do  I  by  all  this  mean  to  tell  you,  my  Brethren,  that  it  is  always 
forbidden  to  suspect  and  judge  your  neighbor  ?  No,  when  there 
are  reasonable  grounds  for  suspicion,  and  when  a  person  has  an 
interest  in  knowing  the  truth  of  the  fact,  it  is  lawful  to  suspect, 
provided  he  suspends  his  judgment  until  every  thing  has  been 
made  clear  and  every  doubt  removed.  For  example,  you  ought 
not,  without  reason  and  without  motives,  suspect  your  children  and 
those  under  your  charge  of  vice  and  wickedness:  but  you  discover  that 
your  son  is  absent  from  time  to  time,  that  he  remains  out  all  night 
and  spends  his  money  extravagantly ;  you  observe  that  your  daugh- 
ter has  no  more  the  same  discretion  and  modesty  ;  you  perceive 
that  some  of  your  things  are  missing ;  you  have  then  reasonable 
grounds  for  supposing  that  there  is  some  hidden  disorder,  something 
wrong,  which  requires  looking  after.  You  consequently  watch  the 
conduct  of  these  persons  more  closely  ;  you  do  not  express  your 
suspicions,  but  you  endeavor  to  find  out  how  far  they  are'  well- 
grounded.  Such  suspicions,  my  Brethren,  are  not  sins  ;  on  the 
contrary,  you  would  sin  were  you  to  neglect  them ;  for  it  is  your 
duty  to  watch  over  your  children  and  servants  and  to  preserve  your 
household  goods.  But  do  not  lightly  suspect,  and  do  not  pass 

*  St.  Matthew,  vii  :  1.         t  1  Corinthians,  iv  5.         $  Romans,  xiv :  4. 


EVIL    SUSPICIONS.  297 

judgment  without  good  motives  and  solid  reason ;  let  us  rather 
dread  suspicious  and  rash  judgments,  as  they  usually  spring  from 
evil  sources.  The  first  of  these  sources  is  the  corruption  of  the 
heart,  which  causes  a  vicious  man  to  believe  that  all  men  are  as 
corrupt  as  himself.  On  the  contrary,  a  virtuous  man  will  always 
think  well  of  his  brethren.  The  second  source  is  hatred  ;  hatred 
breeds  contempt,  and  as  soon  as  we  contemn  a  person,  we  easily 
think  and  judge  evil  of  him.  The  third  is  the  experience  which 
a  man  imagines  he  has :  thus  old  people  are  so  much  the  more 
suspicious,  as  they  have  seen  more  wicked  men.  In  fine,  there  are 
minds  naturally  malicious,  which  change  every  thing  into  poison, 
and  which  make  no  other  use  of  their  powers  than  to  decry  the 
actions  of  others.  My  Brethren,  let  us  drive  from  our  hearts  hatred, 
envy,  pride  rind  malignity  ;  let  us  love  one  another,  and  we  will 
not  be  so  ready  to  judge  our  brethren.  No,  says  St.  Chrysostom, 
"he  who  loves  his  brother  does  not  condemn  him,  nor  lightly 
suspect  evil  of  him." 

My  Brethren,  you  must  all  die  ;  this  sentence  has  been  pronounced 
against  all  men :  but  what  peace,  what  happiness  and  confidence 
will  you  experience  in  your  heart  and  conscience,  if,  on  your  death- 
bed, you  can  say  that  you  have  never  judged  nor  condemned  any 
one  !  You  will  then  remember  that,  according  to  the  express  words 
of  Jesus  Christ,  those  will  not  be  judged  and  condemned,  who 
have  not  judged  and  condemned  their  brethren.  Thanks  be  to 
God  !  there  are  still  among  us  Christians  remarkable  for  this  beauti- 
ful virtue  :  whose  charity,  ever  ingenious,  knows  how  to  excuse 
the  greatest  faults,  to  take  every  thing  in  good  part,  and  always  to 
think  well  of  their  brethren.  These  are  the  men  that  are  truly  just 
and  according  to  the  heart  of  God, — who  are  predestined  for  the 
happy  abodes  of  eternal  glory,  which  I  wish  you  all  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart. — AMEN. 


SHORT   SERMONS. 

SERMON  LXI. 

NINTH  AND  TENTH  COMMANDMENTS. 

BAD   THOUGHTS  AND   DESIRES 


"  Go  not  after  thy  lusts  ;  but  turn  away  from  thy  own  will." — ECCLESIASTICUS, 
xviii:  30. 

THE  Lord  is  the  Master  of  our  souls  as  well  as  of  our  bodies  ; 
and  He  requires  that  our  thoughts  and  desires,  as  well  as  our  actions, 
should  be  subject  to  His  law.  He  is  infinitely  holy  and  perfect, 
and  He  demands  of  us  that  we  should  be  holy  in  our  whole  being  : 
but  we  can  not  attain  to  this  perfection,  unless  we  bridle  our 
passions  and  repress  our  evil  desires.  Hence,  the  Lord  our  God 
prohibits  even  the  thought  or  desire  of  evil.  His  will  is  written  in 
the  two  last  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  wrhich  I  have  yet  to  explain, 
and  which  are  thus  expressed:  "Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neigh- 
bor's wife  :  thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  goods."  Let  us 
ask  the  grace  of  God,  through  the  intercession  of  Mary,  that  we 
may  understand  well  the  meaning  of  these  two  last  commandments. 

To  sin  by  bad  thoughts  is  to  think  willfully  and  with  pleasure  of 
a  bad  thing, — of  a  thing  which  God  prohibits.  To  sin  by  bad 
desires  is  to  wish,  to  seek,  to  desire  deliberately  and  knowingly  a 
bad  thing,  or  what  God  forbids.  An  impure  image  is  presented  to 
your  imagination, — a  bad  idea  comes  into  your  mind  :  if  you  do 
not  reject  it,  if  you  dwell  upon  it  with  pleasure,  if  you  entertain  it, 
you  become  guilty  of  a  bad  thought.  You  form  in  your  heart  the 
desire  of  doing  this  bad  thing  which  the  thought  represents  ;  you 
desire  the  possession  of  this  thing  which  is  not  lawful  for  you  to 
have ;  you  wish  to  commit  the  sin :  this  is  a  bad  desire,  this  is  a 
sin.  You  must  not  however  confound  guilty  thoughts  and  bad 
desires  with  concupiscence, — with  the  inclination  to  evil,  which  is 
the  sad  fruit  of  the  sin  of  our  first  parents,  and  from  which  the 
purest  souls  are  not  exempt.  This  unhappy  inclination  exists  in 


B!AD    THOUGHTS    AND    DESIKES.  299 

our  hearts  in  spite  of  ourselves,  and  it  is  not  possible  for  us  to 
destroy  it  entirely ;  but  we  should  never  cease  to  struggle  against 
it ;  we  ought  never  to  consent  to  the  thoughts  which  it  suggests,  to 
the  temptations  which  it  raises  in  us,  to  the  dangerous  images  with 
which  it  fills  and  wearies  our  mind  and  imagination ;  for  every  bad 
thought, — every  bad  desire  is  a  sin  in  the  sight  of  God,  from  the 
moment  the  mind  willfully  adopts  and  consents  to  it. 

It  is  true,  the  two  last  precepts  of  the  Decalogue  seem  to  con- 
demn only  desires  of  impurity  and  avarice  ;  because  these  desires  are 
the  principal  sources  of  the  sins  of  mankind.  But  these  are  not 
the  only  desires  which  God  condemns.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
reproached  the  Pharisees  for  their  thoughts  of  jealousy  and  hatred  ; 
He  tells  us  that  He  repels  from  the  altar  all  who  cherish  against 
their  brethren  a  thought  or  desire  contrary  to  charity.  Was  it  not 
for  a  thought  of  pride  that  Lucifer  was  driven  from  heaven  and 
buried  forever  in  hell  ?  Why  also  does  the  Holy  Ghost  tell  us 
that  we  must  avoid  every  desire  of  what  is  evil  and  prohibited  ? 
Because,  to  consent  to  bad  thoughts,  to  form  evil  desires,  is  to 
expose  ourselves  to  the  certain  danger  of  soon  falling  into  the  sins, 
the  thought  of  which  pleases  us.  If  we  do  not  commit  them,  it  is 
because  we  have  not  the  opportunity  or  the  means  to  do  so  ;  but 
the  crime  is  consummated  in  the  heart  of  him  who  desires  it :  beside, 
God,  who  searcheth  our  reins  and  our  hearts,  and  to  whom  nothing 
is  hidden  of  all  that  passes  in  the  soul  and  mind  of  man,  declares 
that  he  who  looks  upon  a  woman  with  the  eyes  of  concupiscence, 
has  already  committed  adultery  with  her  in  his  heart.  And  still, 
alas  I  how  numerous  are  these  sins  and  how  easily  committed  \ 
What  a  multitude  of  them  are  conceived  in  a  heart  drunk  with 
ft  criminal  passion  I  How  many  thoughts  and  desires  at  the  sight 
of  almost  every  object  presented  to  view  I  How  many  sins  com- 
mitted in  those  designs,  those  resolutions,  those  promiscuous  assem- 
blies, those  secret  intrigues,  even  when  they  are  not  successful  \ 
Before  God,  the  will  is  reputed  for  the  deed,  and  there  is  sin  in  the 
mere  delectation  of  the  mind  and  the  will,  even  though  there  be 
no  dishonest  external  action.  Truly,  the  war  which  we  have  to 
maintain  against  our  flesh  is  exceedingly  dangerous  I  This  miser- 
able body  gives  birth  to  a  crowd  of  bad  thoughts,  corrupt  desires 
and  sins. 


300  SHORT    SERMONS. 

But  the  sins  of  thought  and  desire,  which  spring  from  cupidity, 
• — from  an  ill-regulated  love  of  the  goods  of  this  world,  are  no  less 
numerous. 

I  know,  my  Brethren,  that  every  desire  for  the  goods  of  others  is 
not  forhidden  ;  for  we  can  without  sin  desire  to  have  what  others 
possess,  when  we  are  willing  to  acquire  it  only  hy  legitimate  ways, 
and  by  means  which  probity  and  conscience?  can  approve.  But  there 
are  desires  for  the  goods  of  others  which  are  unjust,  criminal,  and 
detestable  in  the  sight  of  God.  St.  Paul  says:  "They  who  would 
become  rich,  fall  into  temptation,  and  into  the  snare  of  the  devil, 
and  into  many  unprofitable  and  hurtful  desires,  which  drown  men 
in  destruction  and  perdition."*  What  pernicious  desires  are  in 
the  heart  of  that  man  who  envies  his  neighbor !  What  criminal 
desires  does  not  God  behold  in  the  souls  of  those  merchants  who 
wish  the  ruin  of  others  for  the  sake  of  increasing  their  own  busi- 
ness ;  who  bring  about  commercial  difficulties,  or  advance  the  prices 
of  provisions  for  the  purpose  of  enriching  themselves,  and  who, 
that  they  may  sell  at  a  dearer  and  buy  at  a  cheaper  rate,  hardly 
suffer  any  others  to  engage  in  the  same  business  which  they  them- 
selves follow.  What  unjust  desires  possess  those  who  wish  the 
disgrace  of  persons  in  office  with  the  hope  of  being  thereby  able  to 
supplant  them  !  Oh,  how  many  crimes  originate  in  the  heart  of 
man !  From  it,  as  our  divine  Saviour  tells  us,  come  wicked 
thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  fornications,  thefts,  false  testimonies 
and  blasphemies ;  it  is,  in  a  word,  the  source  of  every  crime.  It  is 
to  drain  this  polluted  source  that  God  forbids  even  evil  desires, 
thoughts,  imaginations,  representations  and  recollections. 

Disabuse  yourselves  then,  you  who  hitherto  supposed  that  you 
could,  without  sin,  abandon  yourselves  to  bad  thoughts  and  bad 
desires.  Alas !  you  have  but  too  often  offended  God  :  enter  into 
yourselves ;  do  penance  ;  go  with  all  humility  to  accuse  yourselves 
of  your  sins ;  repair  your  bad  confessions,  and  return  to  the  grace 
of  God,  if  you  wish  to  save  your  souls  and  attain  heaven. 

But  there  are  persons  who  are  alarmed, — are  disquieted,  and 
imagine  that  when  a  bad  thought  comes  into  their  minds  they 
commit  sin :  this  is  an  error,  my  Brethren,  which  should  disappear 

*  1  Timothy,  vi :  9. 


BAD    THOUGHTS    AND    DESIRES.  301 

from  your  minds,  if  you  have  understood  well  what  has  been  already 
said  on  this  matter.  We  are  guilty  of  bad  thoughts  and  desires 
only  when  we  dwell  on  them  with  complacency  and  deliberately, — 
when  we  entertain  and  do  not  reject  them.  If  we  resolutely  resist, 
if  we  repel  with  energy  the  bad  thought,  if  we  have  not  voluntarily 
given  occasion  to  it,  far  from  causing  us  to  lose  the  friendship  of 
God,  this  temptation  will  render  us  more  meritorious  in  His  sight, 
and  increase  our  rights  to  His  love  and  favor.  We  must  not  hope,  in 
this  life,  to  enjoy  a  peace  free  from  combat.  Beside,  the  sanctity  of 
a  soul  does  not  consist  in  being  exempt  from  temptation,  but  in 
standing  firmly  against  whatever  may  try  its  virtue,  and  cour- 
ageously resisting  it.  Be  not  therefore  afraid  of  those  thoughts 
which  come  into  your  mind  in  spite  of  yourself,  but  reject  them  as 
quickly  as  possible ;  and  you  can  always  repel  them  if  you  will 
have  recourse  to  prayer.  Say  thou  like  the  Apostles  :  "  Save  us, 
Lord,  we  perish;"  and  God  will  assist  you  to  triumph  over  your 
enemies.  Address  yourself  with  confidence  to  the  blessed  Virgin  ; 
invoking  her  aid  in  this  short  and  beautiful  prayer :  "0  most  pure 
Virgin,  by  thy  most  holy  virginity  and  immaculate  conception, 
obtain  for  me  the  grace  of  purity  of  body  and  soul."  The  Queen  of 
heaven  will  come  to  your  assistance,  and  your  soul  will  acquire  new 
merit  before  God,  each  moment  of  the  temptation.  Thus  it  is  that 
you  should  chase  away  lustful  thoughts.  You  should  also  struggle 
firmly  against  the  evil  suggestions  of  cupidity.  To  overcome  them, 
learn  to  be  content  with  that  state  in  which  God  has  placed  you, 
and  let  your  desires  to  become  better  off  in  the  world  be  always 
moderate,  remaining  ever  submissive  to  that  paternal  Providence 
that  disposes  and  conducts  every  thing  in  this  world.  Great 
wealth, — immense  riches  might  perhaps  be  your  ruin.  Does  not 
Jesus  Christ  tell  us  that  there  are  very  few  among  the  rich  who  will 
be  saved?  "Lay  not  up  for  yourselves,"  He  says,  "treasures  on 
earth  ;  where  the  rust,  and  the  moth  consume,  and  where  thieves  dig 
through  and  steal;  but  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven."* 
Have  confidence  then  in  God  ;  you  are  His  most  cherished  creatures, 
and  He  will  provide  for  your  wants. 

This  instruction,  my  Brethren,  concludes  our  explanation  of  the 

*  St.  Matthew,  vi :  19,  20. 


302  SHORT   SERMONS. 

Ten  Commandments  of  God,  and  may  the  Lord  grant  that  this 
exposition  of  His  holy  law  may  promote  His  honor  and  glory,  and 
prove  beneficial  to  your  eternal  salvation.  This  divine  law  should 
be  engraven  on  your  minds,  and  I  doubt  not  that  you  will  observe 
it  with  fidelity.  Perform  well  whatever  God  commands,  then  you 
will  live  in  His  friendship,  and  you  will  attain  that  great  and  in- 
effable recompense  which  the  Lord  reserves  for  His  faithful  servants, 
for  Jesus  Christ  has  said  :  "If  you  will  have  eternal  life,  keep  my 
commandments."  May  the  grace  of  God  always  preserve  you  from 
sin ;  may  it  help  and  strengthen  you  all  the  days  of  your  life,  that 
you  may  glorify  the  Lord  by  advancing  in  the  practice  of  good 
works  which  lead  to  the  happiness  of  heaven. — AMEN. 


PAET  IV. 

SERMON  LXII. 

PRECEPTS  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  GENERAL. 


'And  if  he  will  not  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and  the 
publican." — ST.  MATTHEW,  xviii :  17. 

THE  law  of  the  Decalogue  is  a  sacred  law,  commanding  our 
respect  by  the  dignity  and  sanctity  of  its  author,  by  the  importance 
of  the  things  which  are  prescribed  as  well  as  of  those  which  are 
prohibited  therein ;  by  the  great  rewards  promised  to  such  as  fulfill 
it,  and  by  the  awful  chastisements  with  which  they  are  threatened 
who  transgress  its  precepts.  But  beside  the  commandments  of  God, 
there  are  Six  Precepts  of  the  Church,  which  every  Christian  is 
obliged  to  observe  under  pain  of  mortal  sin.  I  mean  to  speak  to 
you  to-day  of  all  six  in  general.  May  the  Almighty  inspire  me 
with  words  calculated  to  give  you  a  right  idea  of  them,  and  dispose 
your  minds  to  understand,  and  your  hearts  to  love  the  duties  which 
I  shall  point  out  to  you. 

As  Jesus  Christ  was  not  to  remain  always  visible  upon  earth,  He 
placed  His  authority  in  the  hands  of  St.  Peter  and  the  other 
Apostles,  whom  He  had  appointed  as  chiefs  in  His  Church,  and 
ordained  that  the  power  wherewith  they  were  invested  should  be 
transmitted  to  their  legitimate  successors.  This  authority  has  been 
perpetuated  in  the  persons  of  the  sovereign  pontiffs  and  bishops, 
and,  like  the  Church,  it  shall  subsist  to  the  end  of  time,  according 
to  the  promises  which  our  divine  Saviour  made  to  His  Apostles  : 
"Behold,  I  am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 

(  303) 


304  SHORT    SERMONS. 

world.*  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  I  also  send  you,"  said  He  to 
His  Apostles  and  their  lawful  successors.  "Go  ye,  and  teach  all 
nations. f  He  that  heareth  you,  heareth  me  :  and  he  that  despiseth 
you,  despiseth  me.  And  he  that  despiseth  me,  despiseth  Him  that 
sent  me. "|  Are  we  then  obliged  to  obey  the  laws  enacted  by  the 
Apostles  and  their  legitimate  successors  ?  Are  we  bound  to  submit 
to  and  practice  the  commandments  of  the  Church?  Yes,  my 
Brethren,  "if  any  one  will  not  hear  the  Church,"  said  the  Son  of 
God,  "let  him  be  to  thee  as  a  heathen  and  a  publican  ;"  that  is  to 
say,  let  him  be  cut  off  from  the  number  of  my  disciples  ;  let  him 
be  regarded  as  a  public  sinner,  as  an  idolater,  without  God  and 
without  hope.  How  terrible  this  anathema  which  the  Lord  of 
heaven  pronounces  against  those  who  are  rebels  to  His  Church ! 
Let  us  dread  it,  my  Brethren,  and  let  us  obey  those  who  are 
appointed  to  govern  us.  "Obey  your  prelates,"  says  the  Apostle, 
"and  be  subject  to  them.  For  they  watch  as  being  to  render  an 
account  of  your  souls,  that  they  may  do  this  with  joy,  and  not 
with  grief :  for  this  is  not  expedient  for  you."  Whoever,  exclaims 
St.  Cyprian,  has  not  the  Church  as  his  mother,  will  not  have  God 
for  his  Father. 

My  Brethren,  you  can  not  doubt  that  to  keep  the  commandments 
of  the  Church  is  a  duty  incumbent  on  every  Christian,  and  to 
violate  them  in  grave  and  important  matters  is  a  mortal  sin. 
Nevertheless,  what  do  we  daily  behold  even  among  those  who  call 
themselves  Christians?  How  many  there  are  who  imagine  that 
they  find  in  the  most  frivolous  pretext  lawful  reasons  for  dispensing 
themselves  from  observing  the  commandments  of  the  Church! 
How  many  Christians,  who  measure  their  obedience  by  their 
inclinations  and  caprices,  and  not  by  the  authority  of  the  Church  ? 
Some  assist  at  Mass  on  Sundays  and  holidays,  but  pass  many 
years  without  approaching  the  sacrament  of  penance ;  others  attend 
Mass  and  go  to  confession  at  least  once  a  year,  but  they  do  not 
scruple  violating  the  precepts  of  fast  and  abstinence.  Such  contra- 
dictions are,  alas !  only  too  frequent. 

But,  you  ask  me,  why  does  the  Church  impose  upon  us  precepts 
which  are  not  found  in  the  Gospel  ?  Is  not  the  law  of  the  Deca- 

•  St.  Matt.,  xxviii :  20.  f  Idem,  xxiii :  19.  $  St.  Luke,  x  :  16.  §  Hebrews,  xiii :  17. 


PRECEPTS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  305 

logue  quite  sufficient  ?  The  Church,  my  Brethren,  does  not  intend 
by  these  precepts  to  make  the  yoke  of  the  Lord  heavier;  she  seeks 
in  them  only  our  good, — she  has  no  other  view  hut  to  promote  our 
salvation, — to  come  to  our  aid,  to  sustain  our  weakness,  and  stay 
the  fatal  consequences  of  our  negligence.  Our  holy  Mother  saw 
that  her  children  would  become  remiss  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duties  would  continually  put  off  the  observance  of  those  command- 
ments, which  had  no  fixed  time  appointed  for  their  fulfillment,  and 
that  thus  many  would  live  in  the  forgetfulness  of  God  and  the 
neglect  of  His  precepts.  To  arouse  them  then  from  this  fatal 
lethargy  and  preserve  them  from  the  awful  chastisements  which 
God  inflicts  upon  all  those  who  violate  His  law,  she  obliged  them, 
by  express  commandments,  to  comply  with  the  will  of  their  divine 
Master.  For  the  rest,  the  precepts  of  the  Church  add  to  the  Ten 
Commandments  nothing  essential;  they  are  but  a  simple  develop- 
ment of  them,  determining  them,  to  render  their  observance  more 
certain  and  more  easy.  But,  you  say,  the  duties  prescribed  by  these 
commandments  are  new ;  they  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  Gospel. 
Undeceive  yourselves,  my  Brethren,  all  the  precepts  are  in  the 
Gospel ;  the  Church  prescribes  nothing  in  her  precepts  which  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  not  first  formally  commanded  us, — they  are 
only  a  development,  but  a  perfect  development  of  the  evangelical 
law. 

Doe*  not  our  divine  Saviour  recommend  us  to  take  great  care  of 
our  sa)vation,  to  fly  sin  and  every  thing  which  leads  to  it  ?  Does 
He  not  order  us  to  repent  as  soon  as  possible,  if  we  have  had  the 
misfortune  of  offending  our  heavenly  Father?  Does  He  permit  us 
to  delay  our  return  to  God,  and  to  defer  from  day  to  day  our  con-* 
version,  while  we  know  not  the  hour  when  we  may  be  summoned 
to  judgment  ?  Has  not  God  told  us  that  the  death  of  the  sinner  is 
very  evil  ?  Well  then,  my  Brethren,  when  the  Church  prescribes 
that  we  should  go  at  least  once  a  year  to  confession,  what  does  she 
do  ?  She  orders  us  to  accomplish  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  assists 
us  to  satisfy  an  important  duty.  The  Church  commands  us  to 
receive  the  holy  Eucharist  at  Easter ;  but  is  it  not  that  we  may  be 
faithful  in  fulfilling  what  Jesus  Christ  himself  prescribes.  Do  you 
not  know  that  the  Son  of  God  himself  said  to  us:  "Amen,  amen 
I  say  unto  you  :  Unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and 
26 


306  SHORT    SERMONS. 

drink  His  blood,  you  shall  not  have  life  in  you  ?"*  In  ordering  you 
then  to  approach  the  Lord's  table,  at  least  at  Easter,  the  Church 
imposes  no  new  obligation,  she  only  assists  you  in  fulfilling  one 
already  imposed  by  God.  The  Church  commands  us  to  assist  at 
Mass  on  Sundays  and  holidays  of  obligation  ;  in  this  too  she  is  but 
the  interpreter  of  the  will  of  her  divine  Spouse.  When  He  insti- 
tuted this  adorable  sacrifice,  He  recommended  His  blessed  Apostles 
to  renew  it  in  commemoration  of  Him,  without  doubt  that  we 
might  assist  at  it  and  partake  of  its  benefits.  And  what  can  we 
offer  more  agreeable  to  God,  on  those  holy  days  consecrated  to  His 
worship,  than  the  august  sacrifice  in  which  we  present  to  Him  the 
body  and  blood  of  His  well-beloved  Son  ?  The  Evangelist  tells  us 
that  the  road  that  leads  to  heaven  is  narrow  and  covered  with 
thorns ;  that  if  you  live  according  to  the  flesh,  you  shall  die :  but 
if  by  the  spirit  you  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  flesh,  you  shall  live. 
They  that  are  according  to  the  flesh,  relish  the  things  that  are  of  the 
flesh :  but  they  that  are  according  to  the  spirit,  mind  the  things 
which  are  of  the  spirit ;  they  who  belong  to  Christ  crucify  thefr 
flesh  with  its  vices  and  passions,  and  bring  it  into  subjection  to  the 
Spirit.f  It  was  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  us  to  perform  this 
important  duty  of  mortification  that  the  Church  has  appointed  us 
to  fast  during  the  forty  days  of  Lent,  on  ember  days,  on  the  vigils 
of  great  festivals,  and  to  abstain  from  eating  flesh  meat  on  Fridays 
and  Saturdays.  It  is  thus  that  the  precepts  which  the  Church  has 
established  aid  us  in  accomplishing  the  commandments  of  God, 
and  serve  as  means  to  make  easy  the  observance  of  these  holy  laws. 
NDW  when  you  consider  that  the  Church  is  your  spiritual 
Mother ;  that  she  has  imparted  life  to  your  soul ;  that  she  watches 
over  you  incessantly,  and  is  constantly  occupied  about  your  eternal 
happiness ;  that  having  by  baptism  brought  you  forth  to  Jesus 
Christ,  her  heavenly  Spouse,  she  is  charged  with  conducting  you  in 
the  way  that  leads  to  heaven  ;  that  she  loves  you  as  no  mother 
ever  loved  her  child  ;  I  believe  that  you  will  find  sufficient  motives 
to  inspire  you  with  feelings  of  reverence  and  submission  to  all  her 
maternal  commands,  reasons  enough  for  fulfilling  strictly  all  her 
precepts.  Remember  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  "The  child 

*  St.  John,  vi:  54.  f  Romans,  viii. 


FESTIVALS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  307 

that  has  been  the  joy  of  its  mother  will  be  filled  with  favors  and 
benedictions."  Take  then  the  good  and  salutary  resolution  of  never 
failing  in  the  respect,  obedience  and  docility  which  you  owe  the 
Church,  the  most  loving  of  Mothers,  and  you  will  merit  the  favors 
of  her  divine  Spouse,  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour,  who  will  recognize 
you  as  His  friends  and  brethren,  and  who  will  one  day  introduce 
you  into  His  eternal  kingdom. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LXIII. 

FIRST  PRECEPT  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

FESTIVALS  OF  THE   CHURCH 


"  These  also  are  the  holy-days  of  the  Lord,  which  you  must  celebrate  in  their 
seasons." — LEVITICUS,  xxiii :  4. 

THE  Church  is  invested  with  the  authority  and  the  power  neces- 
sary to  establish  such  regulations  as  she  judges  proper  for  extending 
the  glory  of  God  and  procuring  the  salvation  of  her  children.  We 
are  bound,  under  pain  of  mortal  sin,  to  obey  the  precepts  of  the 
Church.  These  commandments  are  founded  on  the  Gospel;  they 
prescribe  only  what  God  himself  commands,  and  are  but  means 
which  facilitate  the  fulfillment  of  the  divine  law.  We  will  now 
enter  upon  the  explanation  of  the  commandments  which  the  Spouse 
of  Jesus  Christ  imposes  upon  her  children  ;  and  to-day  we  will 
consider  what  the  first  precept  enjoins,  which  is:  "to  hear  Mass, 
and  rest  from  servile  works  on  Sundays  and  holidays  of  obligation. 

What  does  the  Church  command  us  by  this  precept  ?  She  com- 
mands us  to  keep  holy  the  Sundays  and  all  festivals  of  obligation 
which  she  has  established.  She  requires  that  we  assist  at  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Sacred  Mysteries  ;  that  we  abstain  from  all  servile 
works,  and  that  we  employ  those  happy  days  in  religious  exercises, 


308  SHORT   SERMONS. 

in  prayer  and  in  the  practice  of  good  works,  for  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  sanctification  of  onr  souls. 

There  are  some  festivals  which  were  instituted  by  the  Apostles 
themselves,  and  which  were  always  observed  in  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ.  St.  Augustine  justly  remarks,  that  we  celebrate  two  of 
which  even  the  Holy  Scriptures  make  mention  :  these  are  the  festi- 
vals of  Easter  and  Pentecost.  Formerly,  there  were  a  great  number 
of  festivals  which  were  kept  holy,  but  for  good  and  substantial 
reasons,  at  the  request  of  our  bishops,  the  sovereign  pontiffs  sup- 
pressed many  of  these  festivals  of  obligation,  and  reduced  the 
number  to  four ;  namely :  Christmas,  the  Ascension  of  our  Lord, 
the  Assumption  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  All  Saints'  Day. 
In  some  dioceses,  however,  the  Circumcision  of  our  Lord,  the 
Epiphany,  the  Annunciation  of  the  blessed  Virgin  and  Corpus 
Christi  are  still  holidays  of  obligation. 

Why  then  has  the  Church  established  these  particular  festivals  ? 
It  was  to  honor  God  by  recalling  to  our  minds  the  principal 
mysteries  of  our  holy  religion, — from  the  contemplation  of  which, 
our  corporal  necessities  and  worldly  affairs  but  too  frequently  divert 
us  ;  it  was  to  furnish  us  with  the  most  solid  instructions,  by  afford- 
ing us  opportunity  for  meditating  seriously  upon  these  sublime 
mysteries  which  have  wrought  the  salvation  of  men  ;  it  was  to 
thank  God,  who  is  "wonderful  in  His  saints,"  and  especially  in 
His  most  holy  Mother;  it  was  to  induce  us  to  imitate  those  saints, 
to  procure  for  us  their  powerful  intercession ;  it  was  to  awaken  in 
the  hearts  of  the  faithful,  piety,  devotion  and  love,  and  to  stimulate 
them  to  greater  exertion  in  the  great  business  of  their  eternal  sal- 
vation. 

The  Lord  when  He  established  festivals  among  the  Israelites,  said 
to  them  :  You  shall  keep  these  feasts  every  year,  on  such  a  day  and 
in  such  a  month ;  and  when  your  children  will  ask  you  why  was 
this  religious  ceremony  established,  you  shall  explain  the  origin  of 
it  to  them.  Such,  Christian  parents,  ought  to  be  the  lessons  you 
should  teach  your  children  on  all  the  solemn  festivals  of  the  Church. 
You  should  repeat  to  them  what  I  am  about  to  tell  you. 

The  festival  of  Christmas,  instituted  in  honor  of  the  birth  of  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  is  one  of  those  feasts  that  can  be  traced  back 
to  the  remotest  antiquity,  and  which  from  time  immemorial  has  been 


FESTIVALS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  309 

kept  on  the  25th  day  of  December.  On  this  day  of  glad  tidings, 
the  Church  recalls  to  our  minds  the  happy  moment  when  God's 
greatest  prodigy  of  goodness  and  mercy  was  accomplished, — the 
ever  memorable  hour  on  which  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  was  born 
of  the  blessed  Virgin,  in  a  poor  stable,  near  the  little  town  of 
Bethlehem.  Surely,  there  is  no  day  which  we  ought  to  celebrate 
with  more  devotion  and  holy  joy,  for  on  this  day  a  Saviour  was  born 
to  us,  and  the  angels  sang  the  heavenly  song  :  "  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  and  peace  on  earth  to  men  of  good  will."  On  this  day  the 
heavens  rained  down  the  Just  One, — the  earth  opened  and  brought 
forth  the  Saviour.  Man  had  sinned,  and  sentence  of  death  was 
pronounced  against  him  ;  but  behold,  the  Son  of  God  comes  into  the 
world, — assumes  our  nature,— takes  upon  himself  our  iniquities, — 
all  of  which  He  will  expiate  upon  the  cross,  dying  upon  it  for  us  : 
He  conies  into  the  world  to  redeem  the  world.  On  this  joyous  day 
of  Christmas,  the  priest  offers  up  three  times  the  adorable  Victim 
on  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  in  honor  of  the  three  births  of  God  made 
man.  We  are  not  obliged  to  assist  at  more  than  one  of  these  three 
Masses ;  but  let  us,  if  possible,  assist  at  all ;  let  us  assist  at  the 
first,  in  honor  of  the  temporal  birth  of  Jesus,  whose  festival  the 
Church  commemorates  on  this  day  ;  let  us  assist  at  the  second,  in 
honor  of  the  birth  of  Jesus  in  the  hearts  of  the  just, — the  birth  of 
divine  grace  in  the  soul ;  and  let  us  be  present  at  the  third,  in  honor 
of  His  eternal  birth  in  the  bosom  of  His  Father.  This  divine 
Saviour  comes  not  merely  to  redeem  the  world,  but  also  to  present 
to  the  world  a  perfect  model  of  virtue.  Let  us  then  on  this  day 
remember  the  immeasurable  gratitude  which  we  ought  unceasingly 
to  testify  to  our  good  Redeemer,  and  let  us  give  Him  proofs  of  it  by 
loving  Him,  by  obeying  His  holy  voice,  and  by  walking  along  the 
path  of  virtue  which  He  has  pointed  out  to  us  by  word  and  example. 
When  Christmas  falls  on  Friday,  there  is  no  obligation  to  abstain 
from  meat ;  but  the  eve  of  this  great  festival  is  always  a  day  of 
fast  and  abstinence.  Those  Christians  become  guilty  of  mortal  sin, 
and  render  themselves  unworthy  of  the  graces  which  Jesus  comes  to 
bestow  upon  them,  who,  on  the  vigil  of  this  happy  festival,  violate 
the  law  of  the  Church,  and  fear  not  to  eat  flesh  meat  in  those 
assemblies  which,  in  place  of  being  meetings  for  devotion  and 
prayer,  are  but  too  often  occasions  of  sin  and  scandal. 


310  SHORT    SKBMONS. 

The  festival  of  the  Ascension,  established  by  the  Apostles  them- 
selves, commemorates  the  great  day  when  our  divine  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ,  went  with  His  Apostles  to  the  mountain  of  Olives,  whence 
He  ascended  into  heaven,  and  took  His  seat  at  the  right  hand  of 
His  Father,  accompanied  by  all  the  holy  souls  whom  He  had 
delivered  from  Limbo.  On  this  solemn  day,  let  us  elevate  our 
minds  and  hearts  to  heaven  ;  let  us  remember  that  there  is  our  true 
country  ;  let  us  detach  our  hearts  from  the  false  joys  and  deceitful 
pleasures  of  this  world,  and  let  us  take  the  firm  resolution  to  labor 
during  our  whole  life  to  merit  the  place  which  our  divine  Saviour 
has  gone  to  prepare  for  us  in  the  abode  of  His  Eternal  Father. 

The  Assumption  is  the  first  and  most  important  festival  estab- 
lished in  honor  of  the  Mother  of  God.  It  reminds  us  of  that  day 
of  triumph  and  of  glory,  when  Mary  was  received  into  heaven  as 
the  well-beloved  daughter  of  the  Eternal  Father,  as  the  august 
Mother  of  the  Incarnate  Word,  and  as  the  immaculate  Spouse  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  of  that  day  when  she  was  declared  Queen  of 
heaven  and  earth ;  when  God,  in  a  manner,  bestowed  upon  her  His 
own  power,  according  to  the  expression  of  the  holy  fathers  ;  of 
that  day  when  she  became  the  channel  of  His  graces, — the  mediatrix 
of  mankind :  all  these  prodigies  are  the  consequences  of  her  quality 
as  Mother  of  God  and  the  recompense  of  her  admirable  virtues. 
To  celebrate  this  festival  worthily,  we  should  be  careful  to  thank 
God  for  the  great  favors  which  He  has  bestowed  on  the  most  holy 
Virgin.  It  is  just,  right  and  proper  that  we  should  do  so,  my 
Brethren;  for  these  favors, — these  graces  regard  ourselves,  and  God 
had  us  in  view  when  He  granted  them  to  Mary.  The  greater  her 
power,  the  greater  and  more  abundant  will  be  the  graces  which  she 
will  obtain  for  her  children  ;  it  ought  then  to  be  to  us  a  great  source 
of  consolation,  confidence  and  joy,  to  consider  the  immense  glory 
to  which  the  Mother  of  God  is  elevated  in  heaven. 

The  festival  of  All  Saints,  which  is  celebrated  on  the  first  day  of 
November,  has  been  instituted  to  honor  and  commemorate,  by  one 
and  the  same  solemnity,  the  memory  of  all  the  saints  who  are  in 
heaven.  To  celebrate  in  a  proper  and  holy  manner  the  feast  of  the 
glorified  citizens  of  heaven,  let  us  honor  in  them  the  benefits,  the 
mercies,  and  the  infinite  perfections  of  God,  who  has  crowned  them 
in  His  kingdom,  who  has  made  them  powerful  with  His  own 


FESTIVALS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  311 

power,  glorious  with  His  own  glory,  and  happy  with  His  own 
happiness.  The  honor  therefore  which  we  render  them  must  be 
referred  to  God ;  their  glory  being  the  work  of  God  ought  to  revert 
to  God.  Let  us  invoke  them  as  powerful  intercessors  before  God. 
My  Brethren,  God  hears  the  prayers  which  the  saints  address  to 
Him  to  obtain  His  graces  and  assistance  for  us.  Let  us  pray  to 
them  with  all  confidence,  for  they  love  us.  But  above  all,  let  us 
imitate  their  example.  The  chief  devotion  to  the  saints, — the 
summary  of  their  veneration  and  our  piety,  consists  in  imitating 
what  we  revere  in  them  :  pray  therefore  as  they  prayed  ;  despise, 
like  them,  the  vanities  of  this  world,  and  like  them,  think  of  the 
infinite  importance  of  the  things  of  eternity.  Aided  by  their 
powerful  intercession,  we  will  be  enabled  to  live  and  die  as  they 
lived  and  died,  and  like  them,  we  will  obtain  the  crown  of  immor- 
tality and  of  glory.  Christians,  you  desire,  no  doubt,  to  celebrate 
properly  these  great  festivals  established  by  the  Church  and  approved 
by  God.  Refrain  then,  during  these  holy  days,  from  all  sin  ;  for, 
though  we  should  always  avoid  sin,  we  ought  to  fear  and  shun  it 
with  more  care  on  the  days  consecrated  by  the  Church  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God  and  the  veneration  of  His  friends,  the  saints,  because, 
says  a  holy  father  of  the  Church,  he  who  sins  on  these  days,  makes 
them  feasts  of  the  devil,  and  not  festivals  of  the  Lord.  On  the 
vigils  of  those  days,  purify  your  hearts  by  an  humble  confession  of 
your  sins,  that  you  may,  on  the  festival,  worthily  receive  the  sacred 
body  of  Jesus,  and  open  for  yourselves  an  abundant  source  of 
graces  and  blessings.  Assist  piously  at  all  the  religious  exercises 
of  your  parish  Church, — at  the  High  Mass,  and  at  Vespers ;  per- 
form some  special  work  of  charity  to  honor  God  and  imitate  the 
saints.  Sanctify,  in  this  manner,  all  the  festivals  of  the  Church, 
you  will  work  out  your  salvation,  and,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  you  also 
will  arrive  at  the  glorious  abode  of  the  saints  in  heaven. — AMEN. 


312  SHORT    SERMONS. 

SERMON  LXIY. 

SECOND  PKECEPT  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

EXCELLENCE   AND   END   OF   THE   SACRIFICE 
OF  THE  MASS. 


"From  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  to  the  going  down,  my  name  is  great  among 
the  Gentiles  ;  and  in  every  place  there  is  sacrifice,  and  there  is  offered  to  my 
name  a  clean  oblation." — MALACHIAS,  i :  11. 

IT  was  the  custom  of  the  primitive  Christians,  even  in  the  life- 
time of  the  Apostles,  to  assemble  on  Sundays  to  assist  at  the  holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and  partake  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Because,  assisting  at  Mass  being  the  holiest  action,  that 
by  which  we  can  contribute  most  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of  our  souls,  it  is  especially  by  it  that  we  must  sanctify 
the  holy  days  consecrated  to  the  service  of  the  Lord.  This  is  the 
reason  why  the  Church  commands  us  "  to  hear  Mass  on  Sundays 
and  holidays  of  obligation."  I  doubt  not,  my  Brethren,  that  you 
will  be  disposed  to  comply  with  this  precept  when  you  shall  have 
learned  the  excellence  of  the  august  sacrifice  of  our  altars. 

The  Mass  is  the  sacrifice  of  the  new  law,  in  which  Jesus  Christ, 
by  the  ministry  of  priests,  offers  himself  under  the  appearance  of 
bread  and  wine,  to  God,  to  perpetuate  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross, 
and  to  apply  to  us  its  merits. 

There  is  nothing  more  sacred,  more  venerable,  more  worthy  of 
the  majesty  and  grandeur  of  God,  than  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass, 
whether  we  consider  it  in  its  essence,  or  view  it  in  the  effects  which 
it  produces. 

He  to  whom  it  is  offered  is  a  God  ;  He  who  is  offered  is  himself 
God  ;  He  who  makes  the  offering  is  equally  a  God. 

"  In  every  place  there  is  sacrifice,  and  there  is  offered  to  My  name 
a  clean  oblation,"  says  the  Lord.  In  truth,  from  one  end  of  the 


SACRIFICE    OF    THE    MASS.  313 

universe  to  the  other,  in  every  place  and  on  every  day,  the  adorable 
sacrifice  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  is  offered  to  God,  and  is 
offered  to  God  alone;  for  the  charge  that  we  offer  this  sacrifice  to  the 
saints  is  a  false  and  wicked  calumny  of  sectarians.  Who  was  ever 
allowed  to  say,  remarks  St.  Augustine, — I  offer  this  sacrifice  to 
you,  Peter  ;  to  yon,  Paul ;  to  you,  Cyprian  ? 

The  Victim  that  is  immolated  to  God  alone  is  no  other  than  God 
himself, — the  Eternal  Word, — the  Son  of  the  Most  High,  become 
the  spotless  Lamb,  whose  blood  is  so  precious  that  it  can  be  com- 
pared to  that  of  no  other  victim,  according  to  these  words  of  the 
Psalmist :  "  Burnt-offering  and  sin-offering  Thou  didst  not  require  : 
then  said  I :  Behold  I  come."*  Yes,  my  Brethren,  the  Victim  sacri- 
ficed to  God  is  Jesus,  the  Son  of  the  Most  High,  God  of  God,  the 
Lord  of  lords,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  He  who  died  on  the  cross 
for  our  salvation,  and  to  whom  be  all  glory  and  all  honor  forever 
and  ever.  He  obeys  the  words  of  the  priest,  descends  from  heaven, 
dwells  upon  our  altars  and  becomes  a  holocaust  for  our  sanctifi- 
cation  and  happiness.  In  fine,  the  Victim,  who  is  God,  has  as 
sacrificing  priest,  a  God ;  for  the  Apostle  tells  us,  that  Christ  who 
is  offered  and  who  offers  himself,  is  the  Eternal  Priest,  "that  He  is 
the  High  Priest,  innocent,  holy,  without  spot,  and  separated  from 
sinners."  We  can  then  say  that  He  is  the  sole  priest,  for  the  other 
priests  are  but  His  servants  and  His  ministers. 

There  can  be  no  sacrifice  more  holy  and  more  august  than  the 
adorable  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  There  is  no  other  by  which  we  can 
more  worthily  honor  and  more  devoutly  adore  the  Lord  our  God ; 
for  on  the  altar  at  Mass,  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  coequal  in  glory 
and  dignity  with  His  eternal  Father,  and  before  whom  all  grandeur 
is  abased,  comes  himself  to  humble  and  annihilate  himself  before 
God.  He  who  is  adored  and  is  worthy  of  being  so,  prostrates  him- 
self and  offers  adoration  to  His  Eternal  Father.  God  can  not  give 
more  glory  to  himself,  than  that  which  He  receives  in  the  august 
sacrifice  of  our  altars,  since  in  it  is  renewed  the  infinite  honor  which 
Jesus,  the  God  made  man,  and  become  like  us,  and  our  brother, 
rendered  to  His  Father,  when  He  immolated  himself  on  the  cross. 
"A.  single  Mass,"  says  St.  Alphonsus  de  Liguori,  "gives  more 

*  Psalms,  xxxix:  7,  8. 

2? 


314:  SHOKT    SERMONS. 

honor  to  God,  than  all  the  prayers  and  all  the  penances  of  the 
saints,  all  the  labors  of  the  Apostles,  all  the  ardor  of  the  Seraphim 
and  even  of  Mary,  whose  heart  was  so  inflamed  with  divine  love, 
since  we  present  in  it  to  God  a  homage  consecrated  by  the  divinity 
of  His  own  Son,  and  since,  on  the  holy  altar,  a  God  becomes  him- 
self the  adorer  of  God,  and  offers  himself  up  as  a  holocaust  to 
Him/' 

Great  God  !  though  Thou  hadst  bestowed  upon  us  but  one  mark 
of  Thy  bounty,  but  one  proof  of  Thy  love,  it  would  deserve  our 
boundless  gratitude,  since  this  favor  would  be  the  gift  of  an  infinite 
God.  And  behold  how  innumerable  are  the  graces  which  Thou 
hast  granted,  how  immense  the  blessings  which  Thou  hast  heaped 
upon  Thy  children  !  But,  poor  and  miserable  sinners  as  we  are, 
what  can  we  do  to  prove  to  Thee  our  gratitude  ?  Shall  we  cover 
Thy  altars  with  magnificent  offerings  ?  But  every  thing  that  exists 
belongs  to  Thee.  Shall  we  offer  Thee  ourselves  ?  Sinners  as  we 
are,  this  offering  would  be  unworthy  of  Thee.  What  return  then, 
my  Brethren,  shall  we  make  to  the  Lord  for  all  that  He  has  done 
for  us  ?  Ah  !  we  can  be  as  grateful  to  God  as  He  has  been  generous 
to  us,  for  we  can  offer  to  Him  the  holy  and  adorable  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass;  than  which  there  is  nothing  richer, — nothing  greater  even 
in  heaven  ;  we  can  offer  Him  His  own  Son, — His  well-beloved  Son, 
— the  object  of  His  divine  complacency  !  Truly  the  Mass  is  a 
sacrifice  of  thanksgiving,  and  in  it  we  present  to  God  as  much  as 
we  have  received  from  His  bounty  and  mercy. 

In  the  adorable  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  where  God  finds  His  glory, 
man  finds  salvation.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  Council 
of  Trent,  declares  that  the  Mass  is  truly  a  sacrifice  of  propitiation, 
of  grace  and  of  pardon.  Not  that  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass, 
like  the  sacrament  of  penance,  imparts  to  us  the  remission  of  our 
sins,  but  the  august  Victim  reposing  upon  our  altars  as  a  holo- 
caust for  us,  touches  the  heart  of  God,  inclines  Him  to  mercy, 
obtains  for  sinners  the  grace  of  repentance,  and  for  the  just  the 
remission  of  the  pains  due  to  the  sins  which  they  had  committed, 
and  which  they  have  not  yet  fully  expiated.  Though  all  men 
together  were  to  sacrifice  their  lives,  could  they  worthily  satisfy  the 
divine  Justice  for  one  fault  committed  by  a  creature  against  his" 
Creator?  No;  Jesus  Christ  alone  could  (satisfy  God  for  our  sins, 


SACRIFICE    OF    THE    MASS.  315 

by  the  great  sacrifice  which  He  offered -to  Him  on  Calvary.  But  if, 
in  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Cross,  we  have  acquired  a  right  to  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  for  us,  in  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass  we  receive  the  application  of  these  divine  merits  ;  the  cross 
is  their  source,  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  their  channel ;  through 
it  the  mercies  of  God  flow  into  our  souls.  How  wretched  we 
would  be,  if  we  had  not  this  august  sacrifice  to  hinder  from  falling 
on  us  the  chastisement  which  our  sins  deserve  !  On  our  altars,  as 
formerly  on  the  cross,  our  bountiful  Saviour  is  still  the  Lamb  of 
God  who  takes  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  and  during  the  holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  He  still  says  to  us  :  "This  is  my  body  which 
is  delivered  for  you  ;  this  is  my  blood  which  is  shed  for  you, — and 
for  the  remission  of  sins.  Come  all  you  that  are  heavy  laden  and 
I  will  refresh  you;"  come  you  poor,  unfortunate  sinners, — come 
and  draw  abundantly  from  the  treasures  of  the  Lord,  graces  to  weep 
over  your  sins, — strength  to  enable  you  to  rise  out  of  iniquity, — 
help  to  persevere  steadfastly  in  the  path  that  conducts  to  heaven. 

Let  us  say  with  the  pious  author  of  the  Imitation  of  Christ : 
Alas !  we  are  nothing,  we  can  do  nothing,  we  deserve  nothing  ;  but 
we  can  do  all  things,  if  Jesus  Christ  strengthen  us ;  and  we  shall 
obtain  every  thing  necessary  to  work  out  our  salvation,  if  we  apply 
to  Him  in  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  for  He  has  himself  said  : 
"My  Father,  I  know  that  Thou  wilt  hear  me."  Come  therefore 
with  all  confidence  to  the  altar  on  which  our  divine  Saviour  is 
immolated  ;  let  us  present  our  desires  to  this  God  of  goodness  ;  He 
will  present  them  to  His  Father,  and  they  will  be  heard.  It  is 
difficult,  says  St.  Chrysostom,  to  obtain  at  another  time  what  we 
do  not  obtain  during  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  Your  prayers 
are  then  accompanied  by  those  of  Jesus  Christ ;  will  the  prayer 
of  Jesus  be  rejected  ?  Oh,  no  !  the  Eternal  Father  refuses  nothing 
to  His  well-beloved  Son,  and  you  will  not  have  the  grief  of  finding 
your  supplications  refused.  Ask  much  during  the  holy  Sacrifice  of 
the  Mass,  and  much  will  be  given  to  you,  for  you  can  not  ask  any 
thing  that  is  not  infinitely  beneath  the  price  which  you  offer  for  it, 
since  you  offer  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  the  equal  of  His  Father. 

How  great, — how  excellent  is  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  !  There 
is  no  good  work  so  pleasing  to  God  as  this  holy  sacrifice  ;  nothing 
can  so  efficaciously  disarm  His  wrath ;  nothing  can  so  effectually 


316  SHORT    SERMONS. 

subdue  the  powers  of  hell ;  nothing  can  procure  for  man  while  an 
exile  on  earth  such  a  rich  abundance  of  graces,  or  so  great  relief 
for  the  poor  suffering  souls  in  purgatory.  The  Mass,  says  St. 
Chrysostom,  is  worth  as  much  as  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross.  Have 
a  great  esteem  for  it  then,  my  Brethren,  and  assist  at  it  on  Sundays 
and  holidays,  on  every  day  if  possible,  and  always  with  piety  and 
devotion.  This  half  hour  spent  in  so  holy  a  manner  will  be  most 
profitable  to  you.  It  is  during  it  that  our  good  Saviour  in  an 
especial  manner  applies  to  you  His  merits  and  enriches  you  with 
His  gifts.  During  it  you  will  receive  from  the  goodness  of  God 
His  blessings  and  graces  to  sanctify  your  souls,  and  render  them 
Worthy  to  be  one  day  admitted  into  the  happiness  of  heaven. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LXV. 

SECOND  PKECEPT  OF  THE  CHURCH.— (CONTINUED.) 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS.— (CONTINUED.) 


"Do  this  for  a  commemoration  of  me." — ST.  LUKE,  xxii :  19. 

WE  ought  to  assist  at  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  to  sanctify 
the  Sundays  and  festivals.  This  august  sacrifice  is  a  most  abundant 
source  of  the  graces  which  are  so  necessary  that  we  may  be  able  to 
lead  Christian  lives  in  this  world.  In  this  sacrifice  we  render  to 
God  the  purest  and  holiest  worship  of  adoration ;  in  it  with  Jesus 
Christ  and  through  Jesus  Christ,  we  address  to  our  heavenly  Father 
acts  of  thanksgiving  for  the  blessings  which  He  has  heaped  upon 
us,  and  which  He  ceases  not  to  lavish  on  us  every  day.  Such,  my 
Brethren,  is  the  summary  of  our  last  instruction.  Yet,  we  have 
not  exhausted  this  important  matter ;  I  have  still  to  give  you  some 
advice  regarding  the  manner  in  which  you  should  hoar  Mass. 

All  Catholics  who  have  attained  the  age  of  reason,  are  bound, 
under  pain  of  mortal  sin,  to  hear  Mass  on  Sundays  and  holidays  of 


SACRIFICE    OF    THE    MASS.  317 

obligation.  Grave  and  solid  reasons  alone  will  exonerate  from  this 
duty.  Thus  we  consider,  as  lawfully  dispensed,  mothers  and  nurses, 
who  can  not  leave  their  children  alone  without  danger ;  the  sick  and 
those  who  have  to  take  care  of  them  ;  old  men  and  women,  and 
weak  persons  whom  the  inclement  weather  and  the  bad  state  of  the 
roads  prevent  from  coming  to  Church;  those  who  must  mind  the 
house  and  who  can  not  be  replaced ;  in  fine,  those  who  are  engaged 
in  some  important  affair,  which  can  not  be  deferred.  You  should 
not,  however,  imagine  difficulties  and  clangers,  when  in  reality  none 
exist,  for  you  would  not  be  thus  excused  before  God. 

The  essential  parts  of  the  holy  Mass  are  the  Consecration  and  the 
Communion  of  the  priest.  We  commit  a  grievous  sin  when  we 
come  so  late,  or  leave  so  soon,  that  we  miss  the  Consecration  and 
the  Communion,  or  the  Consecration  alone,  or  the  Communion  under 
both  species.  It  is  also  very  probable  that  we  commit  a  mortal  sin 
when  we  miss  the  commencement  of  the  Mass  to  the  Gospel  inclu- 
sively, and  even  not  to  come  until  the  Epistle  is  finished.  We 
ought  always,  as  far  as  possible,  morally  speaking,  to  be  present  at 
the  entire  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

Those  persons  therefore  are  guilty  before  God,  who  by  sloth  or 
evil  habit,  devote  too  much  of  their  time  to  sleep  and  the  toilet  ; 
those  who  start  for  the  Church  only  after  the  last  stroke  of  the  bell, 
who  loiter  on  the  way,  and  always  arrive  late  for  Mass.  You  there- 
fore, who  amuse  yourselves  in  the  ale-house  or  other  public  places, 
and  never  enter  the  Church  until  long  after  the  priest  has  ascended 
the  altar,  do  not  comply  with  the  precept  of  the  Church, — in  the 
sight  of  God  you  are  guilty  of  missing  Mass. 

You  have  come  in  time  however,  and  have  remained  until  the  end ; 
but  beside  having  the  intention  of  hearing  Mass,  have  you  been 
really  attentive  to  what  has  been  done  during  the  sacred  myster- 
ies ?  If  you  have  assisted  with  willful  distractions  during  a  notable 
part  of  the  holy  sacrifice,  so  as  not  to  attend  to  what  is  passing 
at  the  altar,  you  do  not  satisfy  the  obligation  which  God  and  his 
Church  impose  upon  you.  Endeavor  then  to  overcome  the  levity 
of  your  minds  and  to  render  involuntary  your  distractions.  Con- 
sider that  a  God  is  going  to  honor  you  with  his  divine  presence  ; 
that  He  is  about  to  be  born  in  the  temple  where  you  worship  ;  that 
you  are  called  on  to  adore  Him  as  the  shepherds  did  on  the  day 


318  SHORT    SERMONS. 

of  His  birth  at  Bethlehem ;  that  He  offers  himself  to  His  Father 
as  on  the  day  of  His  cruel  death  on  Calvary.  Oh,  how  deep  and 
ardent  should  your  devotion  be  !  Our  dispositions  ought  to  be  like 
those  of  the  blessed  Virgin  when  standing  beneath  the  cross  and 
assisting  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  true  Isaac,  and  our  modesty  ought 
to  resemble  that  of  the  angels  who  surround  the  altar  when  the 
adorable  Victim  is  immolated.  But  alas !  instead  of  coming  to  this 
holy  sacrifice  with  a  lively  faith,  a  firm  hope  and  an  ardent  chanty, 
we  assist  at  it  with  minds  occupied  with  profane  thoughts  and 
worldly  affairs.  How  many  people,  altogether  given  up  to  willful 
distractions,  let  their  eyes  and  their  hearts  wander  on  all  kinds  of 
objects  !  How  many  who  chat  and  laugh,  and  joke  with  those  by 
their  side  !  How  many  who  come  to  Church  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
exhibiting  their  finery  and  their  persons  to  the  admiration  of  others  ! 
How  many  who  come  not  to  see  Christ,  but  the  young  Lazarus  and 
the  young  Magdelene ;  not  to  satisfy  their  devotion  and  to  give 
good  example,  but  to  make  the  house  of  God  a  place  of  rendezvous  ! 
Some  there  are  who,  by  the  indifference  of  their  manner,  seem  to 
have  no  thought  but  that  of  dissipating  their  minds  as  much  as 
possible  during  Mass,  and  no  desire  but  that  of  seeing  it  finished  as 
soon  as  possible.  And  can  these  people  suppose  that  they  fulfill 
the  precept  of  the  Church  and  render  to  God  the  homage  which  is 
due  to  His  supreme  Majesty  ?  Know  that  you  who  act  thus  compel 
your  divine  Saviour  to  address  you  as  He  once  did  the  Jews  :  "I 
honor  my  Father,  and  you  have  dishonored  ine."*  I  immolate 
myself  for  you,  and  while  I  accomplish  this  great  sacrifice,  your  in- 
devotion  and  your  criminal  levity  insult  and  outrage  me.  No,  my 
graces  and  my  blessings  are  not  for  you, — you  are  unworthy  of  them. 
Most  certainly,  my  Brethren,  our  prayers  can  not  be  more 
favorably  presented  than  when  Jesus  Christ  himself,  present  on  our 
altars,  receives  them,  to  convey  them  to  the  throne  of  His  Father ; 
are  never  more  capable  of  drawing  on  us  the  graces  and  blessings  of 
heaven  than  when  we  purchase  them  at  the  inestimable  price  which 
Jesus  Christ  himself  has  offered  to  obtain  them  for  us.  Assist  then 
in  a  becoming  and  holy  manner  at  this  adorable  sacrifice ;  then  your 
prayers  will  ascend  to  God  as  an  agreeable  incense,  and  will  return 

*  St.  John,  viii :  49. 


SACRIFICE    OF    THE    MASS.  319 

to  you  loaded  with  the  favors  of  heaven.  Let  us  not  imitate  those 
cold  -and  indevout  Christians  ;  it  is  not  from  them,  but  from  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  that  we  must  learn  the  true  way  of  profiting 
by  the  holy  sacrifice,  and  of  assisting  becomingly  at  it ;  let  us  then 
hear  her  teaching.  Before  Mass  commences,  become  piously  recol- 
lected, repel  from  your  hearts  every  temporal  and  worldly  thought, 
conceive  a  great  idea  of  the  grandeur  and  sublime  sanctity  of  the 
august  mysteries  at  which  you  are  about  to  assist;  then  follow 
faithfully,  and  step  by  step,  the  priest  at  the  altar;  unite  your 
prayers  with  his,  make  with  him,  at  the  feet  of  your  God,  an 
humble  confession  of  your  sins,  opening  your  hearts  to  repentance, 
and  begging  of  the  Almighty  grace  and  forgiveness.  At  the 
Gospel,  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  your  forehead,  on  your 
mouth,  and  on  your  breast,  and  remember  that  the  true  Christian 
believes  firmly  the  truths  of  the  Gospel ;  professes,  before  the  world, 
and  in  spite  of  the  world,  the  divine  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
conforms  his  life  to  his  faith.  At  the  Offertory,  uniting  your  attention 
with  that  of  the  celebrant,  offer  to  the  Lord  all  that  you  have,  and 
all  that  you  are ;  consecrate  yourselves  to  His  service  and  glory. 
At  the  solemn  moment  of  Consecration,  fall  on  your  knees,  pros- 
trate in  body  and  in  heart,  humbly  adore  your  God,  concealed  under 
the  appearances  of  bread  and  wine,  and,  filled  with  a  holy  com- 
punction, acknowledge  that  it  was  your  sins  that  nailed  Him  to  the 
cross.  At  the  Communion  of  the  priest,  form  a  true  desire  of 
receiving  also  into  your  heart,  Jesus  Christ,  present  on  the  altar, 
and  of  nourishing  your  soul  with  His  body  and  blood,  which  are  the 
pledge  of  eternal  life.  Receive,  with  respect  and  devotion,  the 
benediction  of  the  minister  of  the  Lord,  a  benediction  which  calls 
down  upon  you  the  grace  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost.  The  Mass  is  finished  :  you  have  assisted  at  the  adorable 
sacrifice, — the  same  as  that  of  the  cross  ;  retire,  but  let  it  be  like 
the  centurion  mentioned  in  the  Gospel,  who  everywhere  published 
loudly  the  glory  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  like  the  blessed  Virgin  and 
St.  John,  whose  love  for  Jesus  increased  in  proportion  to  the  sor- 
row's which  they  beheld  Him  suffer.  Live  in  the  love  of  God  and 
of  your  neighbor, — in  the  hatred  of  sin  ;  live  as  you  would  have 
lived  on  the  day  of  the  crucifixion  of  the  Man-God,  if  you  had 
been  present  at  His  adorable  sacrifice  on  Calvary.  You  are  also 


320  S  M  « >  K  T    S  K  K  M  O  N  8  . 

descending  the  holy  mountain, — you  have  assisted  at  the  same 
immolation, — the  same  sacrifice ;  let  your  love  then  for  Jesus 
become  like  theirs,  more  lively  and  more  persevering. 

To  sanctify  the  days  which  are  consecrated  to  Thee,  and  those 
which  are  established  to  honor  Thy  most  holy  Mother  and  Thy 
saints,  Thou  wiliest,  0  Lord !  that  we  should  assist  at  the  august 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  with  respect,  with  modesty,  with  fervor  and 
attention.  On  this  condition,  Thou  hast  promised  us  Thy  graces 
and  benedictions.  Yes,  my  God,  henceforth,  and  every  time  that 
we  shall  have  the  happiness  of  assisting  at  these  sacred  and  awful 
mysteries,  we  will  not  cease  to  think  of  Thee, — of  Thy  goodness, — 
Thy  infinite  mercy, — the  boundless  love  which  Thou  hast  for  all 
men ;  we  will  never  cease  to  occupy  our  minds  with  the  holy  and 
salutary  thought  of  Thy  incarnation,  Thy  passion  and  death,  which 
are  renewed  every  day  on  our  altars,  and  we  will  pray  with  confi- 
dence, attention  and  fervor.  Such  is  the  resolution  which  we  form  at 
Thy  feet.  Give  us  grace  to  be  faithful  to  it,  that  having  been  united 
in  Thy  house  on  earth,  for  the  purpose  of  partaking  of  the  fruits 
of  the  holy  sacrifice,  we  may  be  united  again  one  day  in  heaven,  to 
partake  of  Thy  happiness  and  glory. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LXVI. 

THIRD  AND  FOURTH  PRECEPTS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

CONFESSION  — EASTER   COMMUNION. 


•'  Let  a  man  prove  himself;  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that  bread,  and  drink  of  the 
chalice." — 1  CORINTHIANS,  is  :  28. 

To  sanctify  the  Sundays  and  festivals,  days  specially  consecrated 
to  the  Lord,  to  His  holy  Mother  and  the  saints,  we  must  assist  at 
Mass  with  piety,  attention  and  devotion ;  we  must  be  present  in 
body  and  in  mind,  and  pray  with  forvor,  if  we  wish  that  the  bless- 


CONFESSION EASTER    COMMUNION.  321 

ings  of  our  bountiful  Saviour  should  descend  into  our  souls.  This 
is  what  I  explained  to  you  in  our  last  instruction.  To-day,  let  us 
learn  what  is  required  of  us  by  those  two  precepts  of  the  Church, 
viz  :  "  To  confess  our  sins  at  least  once  a  year;  to  receive  worthily 
the  blessed  Eucharist  at  Easter,  or  within  the  time  appointed." 

Experience  teaches  us  that  the  first  use  which  man  makes  of  his 
reason,  is  almost  always  to  abuse  it,  by  offending  the  God  of  good- 
ness, who  has  granted  it  to  him.  This  is  why  the  Church  com- 
mands all  the  faithful  who  have  attained  the  age  of  discretion,  once 
a  year,  at  least,  to  confess  the  sins  which  stain  their  souls.  She 
leaves  to  the  option  of  each  of  her  children  the  selection  of  the  day 
on  which  he  will  satisfy  this  important  obligation  ;  but  she  expressly 
commands  all  to  approach  the  holy  table  during  the  Easter  time  ; 
it  is  proper  for  us,  therefore,  to  confess  our  sins  at  the  same  time, 
that  we  may  be  in  a  state  to  make  a  good  and  worthy  communion. 

If  you  have  had  the  misfortune  to  communicate  unworthily,  after 
having  made  a  bad  confession,  do  you  satisfy  the  precepts  of  the 
Church?  No  ;  for  what  the  Church  requires  of  us,  is  a  good  and 
salutary  confession,  and  a  worthy  communion.  What !  you 
leave  the  sacred  tribunal  more  guilty  than  you  were  before  you 
entered  it ;  you  receive  your  God  into  a  criminal  heart,  where  sin 
prevails;  "you  eat  your  own  condemnation;"  you  do  not  satisfy 
the  laws  of  the  Church, — on  the  contrary,  you  have  immensely 
increased  your  guilt !  Hasten  anew  to  the  feet  of  the  priest,  and 
be  reinstated  in  favor  with  God  by  a  sincere  confession  of  your  sins, 
and  particularly  of  the  double  sacrilege  which  you  have  committed  ; 
then  only  will  you  have  complied  with  the  will  of  the  spouse  of 
Jesus  Christ, — fulfilled  the  precept,  and  been  worthy  of  the  graces 
and  blessings  of  the  Lord. 

My  Brethren,  there  is  a  very  dangerous  and  a  very  common  error 
about  these  precepts  existing  in  the  minds  of  men.  Many  people 
imagine  that  we  are  not  obliged  to  go  to  confession  and  communion 
more  than  once  a  year,  because  the  Church  prescribes  but  one 
annual  confession  and  communion !  The  Church,  my  Brethren, 
desires  to  see  us  often  purifying  our  conscience  in  the  waters  of 
penance,  and  fortifying  our  souls  by  partaking  of  the  ''living  bread 
that  came  down  from  heaven  ;"  but  she  knows  the  hardness  of  our 
hearts,  our  indolence  and  lukewarnmess ;  hence  she  is  content  with 


322  SHORT     SERMONS. 

saying  to  us:  "at  least  once  a  year,  confess  your  sins"  and  purify 
your  conscience  ;  "at  Easter  or  within  the  time  appointed,"  humbly 
approach  the  table  of  the  Lord.  But  if  you  have  a  true  and  sincere 
desire  to  sanctify  your  souls,  you  will  not  be  satisfied  with  going 
but  once, — your  confessions  and  communions  will  be  frequent. 

Moreover,  do  you  not  endanger  your  soul, — your  salvation,  by 
approaching  but  once  a  year  the  sacred  tribunal  of  penance  and  the 
table  of  the  Lord  ?  My  Brethren,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert,  that 
whoever  is  in  the  habit  and  disposition  of  going  to  confession  only 
once  a  year,  is  but  little  prepared  to  perform  well  this  one  con- 
fession ;  for  it  is  difficult  to  perform  well  what  a  man  seldom  per- 
forms. A  good  confession  necessarily  supposes  a  constant  and  firm 
resolution  to  live  better  for  the  time  to  come,  to  correct  our  faults 
and  keep  the  commandments  :  it  also  necessarily  supposes  a  fixed 
determination  of  going  to  confession  from  time  to  time,  because, 
without  this  means,  there  is  but  little  hope  that  a  person  will  be 
able  to  execute  his  good  resolutions. 

I  may  add,  that  the  longer  a  man  puts  off  his  confession,  the 
greater  is  his  desire  to  defer  it,  and  the  more  numerous  are  the 
excuses  he  feigns  for  not  complying  with  this  duty  ;  for  the 
longer  confession  is  deferred,  the  more  do  bad  habits  increase  and 
grow  strong,  and  the  more  difficult  is  it  for  a  person  to  free  himself 
from  them.  The  longer  confession  is  deferred,  the  more  sins  are 
multiplied, — and  the  more  the  sinner  is  accustomed  to  view  them 
without  dread  and  commit  them  without  remorse.  See  then  your 
soul  for  whole  years  in  sin,  at  enmity  with  God,  ever  suspended 
over  the  eternal  abyss  by  the  slender  thread  of  human  life !  Out 
of  the  twelve  months  of  the  year,  you  pass  eleven  of  them,  perhaps, 
in  a  state  of  reprobation  !  Alas  !  your  soul  is  in  the  greatest  danger, 
and  you  have  no  wish  to  escape !  Is  this  what  you  call  taking  care 
of  your  salvation  ? 

There  is  no  doubt  about  it,  my  Brethren,  God,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  His  Church  entreat  you,  and  the  welfare  of  your  soul 
makes  it  a  duty  for  you  to  go  often  to  the  sacred  tribunal  of  penance, 
and  to  approach  frequently  the  holy  table  of  the  Lord.  It  is  there 
that  you  receive  graces,  light,  and  strength  to  resist  temptation,  to 
struggle  successfully  against  the  enemies  of  your  salvation,  to  know 
and  detest  the  enormity  of  sin,  to  appreciate  and  love  the  beauty  of 


CONFESSION EASTER    OO  MM  UN  ION.  B'2'3 

virtue,  and  to  persevere  to  the  end  in  the  avoidance  of  evil  and  the 
practice  of  good  works. 

The  Gospel  informs  us  that  the  first  Christians  daily  partook  of 
the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Hence,  in  the  early  ages  of 
the  Church,  we  count  almost  as  many  saints  as  there  were  Christians. 
But,  alas !  this  zeal  for  the  sacred  mysteries  was  not  of  long  dura- 
tion. The  love  of  salvation  always  diminishing  because  corruption 
was  continually  increasing  its  sway  over  men's  hearts,  the  time 
came  when  some  remained  for  many  years  without  approaching  the 
sacraments ;  while  others,  to  escape  the  just  reproaches  of  their  own 
pastors,  went  to  confess  their  sins  to  strangers,  and  received  the 
holy  Communion  elsewhere  than  in  their  parish  churches.  To  apply 
an  effectual  remedy  to  this  two-fold  irregularity,  the  Church  com- 
manded that  each  of  the  faithful  who  had  attained  the  age  of  dis- 
cretion, should  confess  all  his  sins  to  his  own  priest,  that  is,  to  his 
own  pastor,  and  should  reverently  receive,  at  least  at  Easter,  the 
sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  under  pain  of  being  excluded  from  the 
Church  of  God  while  living,  and  of  being  deprived  of  Christian 
burial  after  death.  Nevertheless,  my  Brethren,  the  present  discipline 
of  the  Church  allows  the  faithful,  in  some  places,  to  choose  for 
their  annual  confession,  any  one  among  the  confessors  approved  by 
the  bishop  ;  but  they  must  not  make  their  Easter  communion  out 
of  their  parish,  without  the  permission  of  their  pastor. 

It  is  right  that  the  children  of  the  same  family  should  assemble 
around  the  same  table,  to  eat  the  pascal  Lamb.  It  is  meet  to  range 
each  flock  under  its  pastor,  that  he  may  know  his  sheep.  Love 
therefore  to  place  yourself  under  the  eyes  of  your  own  priest ;  put 
your  confidence  in  him,  no  one  loves  you  more  than  he  does,  no  one 
lias  a  greater  desire  for  your  salvation  and  sanctification.  Give 
him  the  opportunity  of  knowing  your  souls,  for  which  he  must  one 
day  answer  before  God.  If  he  knows  them  not,  how  can  he  give 
you  the  advice  and  counsel  you  need  to  enable  you  to  practice 
virtue  ?  How  can  he  point  out  to  you  the  means  that  you  arc  to 
employ  to  work  out  your  salvation?  It  is  your  pastor  who  will 
visit  you  on  your  death-bed,  and  if  he  does  not  know  you,  what 
can  he  do,  and  what  can  he  tell  you  to  prepare  you  well  for  the 
great  passage  from  time  to  eternity  ?  Moreover,  why  do  people  go 
in  search  of  other  confessors  ?  Because  they  dread  the  exactness, 


324:  SHORT    SERMONS, 

the  salutary  admonitions,  and  the  just  severity  of  their  pastors  ; 
because  they  fear  that  he  will  try  them  by  salutary  delays.  What 
is  the  consequence  ?  You  go  in  disguise  and  present  yourself  to  a 
priest  who  is  not  acquainted  with  your  character ;  you  make  a 
confession  most  probably  destitute  of  sincerity,  humility  and  re- 
pentance ;  you  deceive  the  confessor,  so  that  he  pronounces  over 
you  the  words  of  absolution ;  in  other  words,  you  commit  a  horrible 
sacrilege,  and  add  another  still  more  dreadful  when  you  approach 
the  holy  table.  Alas !  my  Brethren,  how  many  confessions  of  this 
kind  are  made  in  those  days  which  ought  to  be  days  of  general 
reconciliation  with  God !  How  many  impenitent  sinners  receive 
their  sentence  of  reprobation  in  the  very  place  where  they  ought  to 
find  grace  and  salvation  ! 

Great  God !  was  there  needed  a  command  of  thy  Church  to  bring 
men  to  this  august  tribunal  of  mercy  and  reconciliation?  It  is 
thyself  who  presidest  in  this  tribunal,  and  who  callest  to  Thee  all 
poor  sinners,  addressing  to  them  the  tender  invitation:  "Come  to 
me,  all  you  that  labor,  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  refresh  you."* 
Yes,  Lord !  we  will  go  to  Thee,  not  only  once  a  year,  but  oftentimes  ; 
for  we  are  weak  and  many  are  the  deplorable  sins  which  we  commit, 
but  we  do  not  wish  to  remain  in  sin,  we  desire  not  to  be  any  longer 
Thy  enemy.  We  will  then  go  often  to  ask  Thy  forgiveness,  to  beg 
of  Thee  to  grant  us  a  share  of  that  mercy  wherewith  Thy  sacred 
Heart  is  filled.  We  are  indeed  weak  and  very  much  inclined  to 
offend  Thee ;  but,  divine  Jesus,  Thou  art  strong,  Thou  hast  con- 
quered sin,  and  Thou  desirest  to  come  to  us  to  invest  us  with  Thy 
strength,  to  assist  us  in  putting  to  flight  the  enemies  of  our  salva- 
tion, in  extinguishing  the  fire  of  our  passions,  to  fill  us  with  the 
love  of  virtue,  and  make  us  the  children  of  Thy  heavenly  Father. 
Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come;  or  rather,  my  Brethren,  let  us  go  to  this 
God  of  goodness,  let  us  often  approach  this  sacred  table,  where  He 
becomes  the  food  of  our  souls,  let  us  receive  this  divine  nourishment 
worthily,  with  love  and  with  humility,  for  it  is  the  pledge  of  a 
happy  immortality,  and  Jesus  has  himself  said  to  us:  "He  that 
eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  everlasting  life  :  and 
I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day." — AMEN. 

*  St.  Matthew,  xi :  28. 


ON    THE    FASTS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  325 

SERMON  LXVII. 

FIFTH  AND  SIXTH  PKECEPTS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

ON   THE   FASTS  OF   THE   CHURCH. 


"Behold,  now  is  the  acceptable  time:  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation." — 
2  CORINTHIANS,  vi :  2. 

As  sinners  and  as  Christians  we  must  do  penance.  Though 
coming  from  the  creative  hand  of  a  just  and  bountiful  God,  yet  we 
can  not  find  happiness  on  earth  ;  because  we  have  sinned,  because 
we  are  guilty  beings.  We  are  sinners,  we  must  therefore  do  penance. 
We  are  the  disciples  of  a  Man-God,  who  has  been  pleased  to  make 
himself  our  model,  whose  whole  life  was  one  long  penance,  who  was 
consecrated  to  the  expiation  of  our  sins,  and  who  addresses  to  us 
these  awful  words:  "  Unless  you  do  penance,  you  shall  all  perish." 
Our  divine  Lord  left  in  charge  to  His  Church  to  conduct  us  in  the 
performance  of  this  law  of  salvation  ;  hence,  she  has  imposed  upon 
us  these  two  precepts  :  "To  fast  during  Lent,  on  Ember  Days,  and 
the  eves  of  certain  festivals  ;  and  to  abstain  from  flesh-meat  on 
Fridays  and  Saturdays."  We  are  commanded  to  abstain  from  the 
use  of  flesh-meat  on  Fridays  and  Saturdays.  Let  us  make  no  dis- 
tinction between  those  days,  when  the  Church  makes  none.*  We 
are  commanded  not  solely,  not  to  eat  meat,  but  also  according  to 
the  regulations  determined  by  our  superiors,  to  retrench  some  portion 
of  our  ordinary  food,  to  diminish  the  number  of  our  meals  on 
Ember  days,  on  the  eves  of  certain  festivals,  and  during  the  forty 
days  of  Lent. 

NOTE,  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR. — It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remark,  that  if  absti- 
nence is  not  observed  on  Saturday  in  this  country,  it  is  by  special  dispensation 
that  we  are  allowed  to  eat  meat  on  that  day.  This  dispensation,  though  at 
present  almost  if  not  entirely  universal  as  to  place,  is  still  never  given  but  for 
limited  periods.  It  has  been  lately  extended  in  this  ecclesiastical  province  to 
the  year  1870. 


326  SHORT    SERMONS  . 

We  fast  during  the  forty  days  of  Lent,  according  to  apostolic 
tradition,  says  St.  Jerome.  The  Church  imposes  this  fast  upon  us, 
that  we  imitate  Jesus  Christ,  our  divine  model,  who  chose  to  fast 
for  forty  days  and  forty  nights  before  commencing  His  divine 
mission  in  Judea.  She  enjoins  this  fast,  that,  by  mortifying  our 
flesh,  we  may  be  made  partakers  in  the  infinite  merits  which  our 
bountiful  Saviour  acquired  by  the  suiferings  which  He  underwent, 
and  by  the  death  which  He  endured  for  our  redemption.  He  who 
had  no  sin  of  His  own,  took  upon  himself  our  sins,  and  by  doing 
penance  for  them,  condemns  those  Christians  who  fear  not  to  mur- 
mur against  the  holy  rigors  of  Lent,  and  who,  though  real  sinners, 
seek  in  the  most  trifling  inconvenience  excuses  to  exempt  them  from 
fasting.  In  fine,  the  Church  prescribes  this  fast  that  we  may  pre- 
pare ourselves  to  receive,  in  a  holy  and  profitable  manner,  the  body 
and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  may  celebrate  worthily  the  festival 
of  Easter ;  for,  as  a  holy  doctor  of  the  Church  says,  Lent  is  the 
great  vigil  of  the  greatest  feast  of  the  year. 

We  fast  during  the  Ember  days,  because  the  Church,  our  mother, 
who  has  established  this  fast,  wishes  us  to  sanctify  by  penance  the 
four  seasons  of  the  year ;  that  we  should  invoke  the  blessings  of 
the  Lord  on  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  that  we  should  testify  our 
gratitude  to  God  for  the  benefits  which  He  has  so  liberally  granted 
to  us.  As  it  is  on  Ember  days  that  ordinations  take  place,  we 
ought  on  those  days  to  fast  and  pray,  that  we  may  obtain  from 
God  good  priests  to  conduct,  with  wisdom  and  zeal,  the  flock  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Finally,  we  fast,  to  ask  from  the  goodness  of  God  a 
happy  season  for  soul  and  body. 

The  day  which  precedes  a  festival  is  called  the  vigil  or  eve,  because, 
in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity,  the  faithful  spent  the  night  before 
a  solemnity,  in  the  church,  absorbed  in  prayer.  Abuses  afterward 
compelled  the  Church  to  retrench  these  pious  practices ;  but  she 
retained  the  obligation  of  fasting.  Why  ?  Because  she  desired 
that  we  should  always  be  exempt  from  sin,  when  we  present  our- 
selves before  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  so  that  we  might  offer  to  Him 
homages  worthy  of  His  divine  Majesty  and  of  His  holy  saints.  The 
homage  of  a  pure  heart  is  the  most  agreeable  offering  we  can 
present  to  God ;  now,  penance,  fasting  and  abstinence  are  means 
of  expiation  which  serve  to  purify  our  hearts ;  therefore,  the 


ON    THE    FASTS    OB'    THE    CIIUBCIT.  327 

Church  wishes  us  to  practice  them  on  the  approach  of  her  solemn 
festivals. 

It  is  for  this  motive  also,  that  she  enjoins  upon  us  to  abstain 
from  flesh-meat  on  Fridays  and  Saturdays.  It  was  on  Friday  that 
our  divine  Lord  died  for  us  ;  and  to  sanctify  this  sorrowful  com- 
memoration, the  Church  requires  that  Friday  should  be  a  day  of 
penance  for  all  her  children.  Saturday  was  the  day  on  which  this 
divine  Saviour  remained  in  the  tomb ;  and  abstinence  is  continued 
on  this  day  in  mourning  for  His  burial.  We  abstain  from  meat  on 
this  day,  which  we  consider  as  the  vigil  of  Sunday,  because  Sun- 
day is  truly  the  day  when  the  Lord  designs  to  shower  down  with  a 
liberal  hand  His  graces  and  particular  blessings  on  those  who  strive 
to  render  themselves  worthy  of  them.  Let  us,  therefore,  atone  for 
our  many  faults,  by  faithfully  complying  with  the  duties  of  absti- 
nence on  these  two  days  of  the  week,  that  we  may  prepare  ourselves 
in  a  proper  manner  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  day,  and  may  be  ad- 
mitted to  partake  of  His  graces  and  favors. 

Behold,  my  Brethren,  the  holy  and  salutary  intentions  which 
induced  the  Church,  our  mother,  to  appoint  certain  days  of  fasting, 
— certain  days  of  abstinence,  and  to  command  her  children  to 
observe  them,  under  pain  of  mortal  sin.  All  of  us  are  obliged, 
under  pain  of  mortal  sin,  to  abstain  from  eating  flesh-meat  on  fast 
days,  on  Fridays,  and  in  countries  where  the  law  of  abstinence  has 
not  been  revoked  by  the  Church,  on  Saturdays  also.  There  is  ex- 
ception only  in  favor  of  little  children,  the  sick  and  the  convalescent. 
All  are  obliged  to  take  but  one  full  meal,  and  a  light  collation  in 
the  evening,  on  fast  days.  However,  the  Church  grants  an  exemp- 
tion from  this  law  to  young  people  who  have  not  yet  attained  their 
twenty-first  year,  and  to  all  those  who  toil  much  and  are  engaged 
in  hard,  laborious  work.  Their  labors  supply  the  place  of  fasts, 
and  it  will  be  a  meritorious  act  of  mortification,  if  they  offer  up 
these  labors  to  God  in  the  spirit  of  penance.  The  Church  grants 
the  same  dispensation  from  fasting  to  women  who  are  pregnant, 
who  nurse  or  suckle,  and  to  the  old  and  infirm ;  but  they  must 
supply  the  obligation  of  the  fast  by  additional  prayers,  by  good 
works,  and  above  all,  by  patience  and  resignation  in  their  infirmi- 
ties, sickness  and  sufferings. 

For  the  exact  fulfillment  of  these  precepts  of  the  Church,  is  it 


328  SHORT   SERMONS. 

sufficient  to  abstain  from  flesh-meat  on  Fridays  and  Saturdays  ?  Is 
it  sufficient  to  eat  less  than  ordinary,  during  Lent  and  on  other  fast 
days?  No,  my  Brethren,  it  is  not.  To  fast  well,  we  must  join  to 
our  abstinence  the  mortification  of  our  passions  and  our  evil  pro- 
pensities ;  we  must  renounce  our  bad  habits  and  drive  them  from 
our  hearts  ;  and  we  must  perform  good  works.  Let  us  join  prayer 
to  the  fasts  which  we  practice,  and  let  us  add  to  them  alms-deeds 
according  to  our  abilities.  Prayer  and  alms-deeds  are,  as  it  were, 
the  two  wings  which  raise  our  fasts  and  abstinences  even  to  the 
throne  of  God,  as  a  holy  father  tells  us.  Beside,  my  Brethren,  to 
perform  well  the  obligation  of  fasting,  let  us  join  to  our  abstinences 
the  avoidance  of  every  occasion  of  sin,  and  let  us  renounce  what- 
ever may  flatter  our  senses,  awaken  concupiscence,  and  incline  us 
to  offend  God. 

Do  you  know  how  the  first  Christians  fasted  ?  No  doubt,  on 
this  point,  they  are  more  to  be  admired  than  imitated ;  but  what 
they  have  performed  is  well  calculated  to  confound  our  delicacy  and 
self-seeking,  and  to  shame  us  for  the  cowardice  we  display  in  our 
struggle  against  sin  and  the  passions.  Not  only  did  they  eat  no 
flesh-meat  and  drink  no  wine  or  intoxicating  liquor  of  any  kind, 
but  they  abstained  from  fish,  eggs,  milk  and  cheese;  they  were 
satisfied  with  some  herbs,  roots  and  vegetables  ;  and  they  took  their 
ineal  only  after  Vespers,  that  is,  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
In  Holy  Week,  they  eat  nothing  but  bread  and  drank  nothing  but 
water,  and  it  was  not  unusual  to  see  those  who  were  robust  enough, 
passing  whole  days  without  tasting  nourishment  of  any  kind.  Fast 
days  were  spent  by  them  in  doing  good,  in  fulfilling  with  the 
utmost  fidelity  the  duties  of  their  respective  states,  devoting  their 
time  to  prayer  and  alms-deeds,  and  practicing  many  other  good 
works  of  penance.  They  retired  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the 
world,  and  deprived  themselves  even  of  the  most  innocent  recre- 
ations. They  lived  more  like  angels  than  men,  and  why  so  ?  Oh  ! 
because  they  knew  the  worth  of  their  souls  and  the  value  of  the 
good  things  of  heaven;  because  they  felt  how  much  they  were 
exposed  to  sin,  and  feared  the  rigors  of  eternal  torments ;  it  was,  in 
fine,  because  they  truly  loved  the  Lord,  their  God. 

Concluding  this  explanation  of  the  commandments  of  God  and 
His  Church,  permit  me  to  address  you  in  the  language  of  Holy 


ON   THE    FASTS    OF    THE    CHURCH.  329 

Writ:  "Endeavor,  my  son,  to  apply  all  the  thoughts  of  your 
mind  to  what  God  has  enjoined  upon  you,  and  meditate  upon  His 
commandments.  Fear  God,  and  observe  His  precepts  ;  for  this  is 
the  whole  business  of  man."  In  reality,  "  what  doth  it  profit  a 
man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  What 
shall  he  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  Ah  !  lay  up  treasures  in 
heaven,  prepare  for  yourselves  a  place  in  the  habitation  of  the 
Lord  ;  "  and  if  you  will  enter  into  life  everlasting,  keep  the  com- 
mandments ;"  they  are  the  lamp  which  will  guide  you  in  the  dark 
and  dangerous  path  of  this  life;  they  are  the  light  which  will 
reveal  to  you  the  way  that  leads  to  happiness.  "My  son,"  says 
the  Lord,  "preserve  the  precepts  of  your  father,  keep  them  bound 
to  your  heart,  and  let  them  be  tied  around  your  neck ;  when  you 
walk,  let  them  accompany  you  on  your  journey  ;  when  you  sleep, 
let  them  guard  you;  when  you  awake,  meditate  upon  them.  My 
son,  receive  my  words,  and  keep  my  precepts  concealed  in  the 
bottom  of  your  heart ;  forget  not  my  law  ;  let  your  heart  preserve 
my  commandments ;  let  them  be  engraven  upon  the  tablets  of  your 
hearts  ;  keep  my  law  as  the  apple  of  your  eye.  Behold,  I  have 
proposed  to  you,  life  or  death,  benediction  or  malediction ;  choose 
then  life,"  that  is  to  say,  the  favors,  the  blessings,  the  friendship 
of  God  and  the  ineffable  happiness  of  heaven  !  Take  therefore  the 
firm  resolution  of  loving  and  practicing  the  holy  laws  of  God  and 
His  Church  all  the  days  of  your  life.  We  can  do  nothing  without 
the  help  of  divine  grace,  so  great  is  our  weakness  !  but  with  divine 
grace  all  things  are  possible  to  us,  and  God  will  not  refuse  it  to 
him,  who,  with  heart  and  soul,  like  the  royal  prophet,  cries  out : 
"0  my  God,  happy  are  those  who  profoundly  meditate  upon  Thy 
law  and  observe  it  with  their  whole  hearts  !  Give  me  understand- 
ing, and  I  will  examine  Thy  law  and  I  will  keep  it  in  my  heart  !" 
Pray  thus  every  day,  my  Brethren,  and  the  powerful  assistance  of 
God  will  come  to  you  from  on  high ;  you  will  live  holy  lives  on 
earth,  and  when  earth  is  closed  to  your  sight  for  ever,  you  will  enter 
into  the  eternal  life  of  heaven,  a  happiness  I  wish  you  all. — AMEN. 
28 


330  SHOET    SERMONS. 

SERMON  LXYIII. 
ON  GRACE. 


Omnia  possum  in  eo  qui  me  confortat. 
"I  can  do  all  things  in  him  who  strengthened  me." — PHILLIPIANS,  iv :  13. 

IF  God  demands  of  us  things  painful  to  flesh  and  blood,  such  as 
the  observance  of  His  holy  law,  watchfulness  over  ourselves,  the 
reformation  of  our  irregular  propensities  and  evil  habits,  the  self- 
denial  which  penance  and  mortification  impose;  in  a  word,  if  He 
requires  of  us,  my  Brethren,  the  practice  of  every  virtue  and  the 
avoidance  of  every  vice,  He  is  not  content  with  making  known  to 
us  His  divine  will,  but  He  presents  to  our  will  motives  capable  of 
deciding  it,  and  helps  our  weakness  by  aiding  us  to  do  what  He 
commands  :  this  is  the  work  and  effect  of  Grace,  the  nature,  neces- 
sity and  different  kinds  of  which,  I  propose  making  known  to  you 
to-day.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  word  which  people  hear  pronounced 
in  Christian  pulpits,  which  they  find  in  books  of  piety,  and  repeat 
in  their  prayers  more  frequently  than  the  word  Grace,  and  yet,  per- 
haps, there  is  no  word  concerning  which  they  have,  in  general,  ideas 
less  clear  and  less  precise.  It  is  therefore  a  subject  well  worthy 
your  attention,  embracing,  as  it  does,  a  fundamental  truth  of 
religion,  one  which  we  often  hear  mentioned,  but  which  we  never 
sufficiently  comprehend. 

The  qualities  of  the  body,  as  health,  strength,  beauty,  the  facul- 
ties of  seeing,  hearing  and  feeling ;  the  qualities  of  the  mind,  as 
reason  more  or  less  enlightened,  judgment  more  or  less  penetrating 
and  sound,  memory  more  or  less  tenacious,  imagination  more  or  less 
vivid  and  brilliant,  conception  more  or  less  ready,  a  soul  more  or  less 
noble  and  generous,  are  so  many  gifts  which  we  have  received  from 
God,  and  the  good  use  of  which  may  contribute  much  to  our  salva- 
tion. However,  as  all  these  gifts  are  a  consequence  of  creation,  as 
they  are  only  for  the  present  life,  and  as  God  grants  them  without 


ON    GRACE.  331 

distinction  to  all  men,  to  the  wicked  as  well  as  the  good,  to  the 
children  of  infidelity  as  well  as  the  children  of  faith,  to  sinners  as 
well  as  just,  to  His  enemies  as  well  as  His  friends,  to  those  who 
insult  Him  as  well  to  those  who  honor  His  name,  these  are  not  pre- 
cisely what  we  call  graces,  or  if  by  some  these  gifts  are  called  graces, 
they  add  that  they  are  purely  natural  graces,  because,  to  whatever 
degree  a  man  possesses  them,  they  do  not  elevate  him  above  the 
condition  of  his  nature,  and  because,  by  themselves  and  directly  they 
relate  only  to  the  present  life.  We  ought  to  recognize,  in  these 
different  natural  gifts,  so  many  benefits,  so  many  favors  from  God 
worthy  of  our  gratitude,  since  God  owes  them  to  no  one  ;  but,  I 
repeat  it,  they  are  not  properly  called  Grace. 

The  name  of  Grace  is  given  to  certain  supernatural  gifts,  which 
are  not  a  consequence  of  the  life  which  we  have  received,  but  which 
God,  through  His  pure  goodness,  grants  to  us  in  consideration  of 
the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  enable  us  to  attain  eternal  salvation. 
These  gifts  are  entirely  gratuitous  on  the  part  of  God,  and  nothing 
in  us  can  merit  them.  The  first  Grace  which  we  receive,  finds  us 
sinners  and  unworthy  of  mercy ;  it  is  it  which,  drawing  us  from 
that  miserable  state,  elevates  us  to  sanctity  according  to  the  measure 
which  the  Lord  grants  us,  and  the  degree  of  our  co-operation ;  but 
neither  the  commencement  nor  the  augmentation  of  this  Grace  is  the 
fruit  of  our  own  merits.  From  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ  flows  this 
sacred  balm  which  changes  the  state  of  our  souls,  which  heals  them 
of  their  wounds, — which  washes  out  their  stains.  As  with  our  life 
we  received  through  Adam  original  sin  and  the  inclination  to  evil, 
so  we  receive  through  Jesus  Christ  reconciliation,  sanctity,  and 
the  means  of  preserving  it.  "As  in  Adam  all  die,"  says  St. 
Paul,  "so  also  in  Christ,  all  shall  be  made  to  live."*  It  is  our 
Saviour's  merits  which  repair  in  us  the  sad  consequences  of  our 
first  father's  disobedience,!  and  the  Grace  which  He  merited  for  us 
by  His  cross,  elevating  us  above  ourselves,  and  filling  up  the  infinite 
distance  which  separates  the  creature  from  its  Creator,  after  having 
communicated  to  us  a  divine  life,  causes  us  to  produce  thoughts, 
affections  and  supernatural  works,  which  merit  for  us  the  happiness 
of  seeing  God  eternally  in  himself.  Such  is  Grace  properly  so 

*  Corinthians,  xv  :  22.  t  Romans,  v  :  19. 


SHORT    SERMONS  . 

called,  such  the  sublimity  of  its  origin,  of  its  works  and  of  its 
end.  If  then  we  do  not  esteem  Grace,  it  is  because  we  know  not 
the  greatness  of  such  a  gift.  "If  thou  didst  know  the  gift  of 
God!"* 

Theologians  distinguish  two  kinds  of  Grace,  both  of  which  are 
proportioned  to  our  wants,  and  are  given  us  to  conduct  us  to  salva- 
tion. They  call  the  one  actual  Grace,  and  the  other  habitual  or 
sanctifying  Grace.  Actual  Grace  is  a  supernatural  help  which  God 
grants  to  our  weakness,  in  particular  circumstances,  where  His  aid 
is  necessary  for  us  to  do  good  and  avoid  evil.  It  enlightens  our 
minds  and  strengthens  our  will  by  making  us  understand  and 
accomplish  what  God  requires  of  us.  It  is  an  interior  light,  which 
points  out  to  us  the  injustice  or  the  shame  of  a  bad  action,  to  which 
our  inclination  leads  us,  or  causes  us  to  see  the  goodness  and  merit 
of  a  good  deed,  to  which  Grace  invites  us,  and  at  the  same  time  it 
encourages  and  aids  us  to  avoid  the  former  and  perform  the  latter. 

There  is  no  one  who  can  not  recognize  in  himself  the  presence  of 
this  divine  Grace;  so  numerous  are  the  secret  and  manifest  ways  in 
which  it  acts,  to  make  us  enter  into  the  great  design  of  our  creation 
and  redemption  !  Sudden  and  unexpected  impressions,  encourage- 
ments, consolations,  disquietudes  of  conscience  which  we  experience 
in  spite  of  ourselves,  which  we  in  vain  endeavor  to  stifle,  and  which 
all  our  justifications  can  not  calm  ;  the  bitterness  and  disappoint- 
ment arising  from  frivolous  joys,  vain  desires,  and  presumptuous 
hopes.  Who  that  has  paid  the  least  attention  to  himself,  has  not 
many  times  heard  that  interior  voice,  which,  in  a  thousand  various 
ways  addresses  us,  to  warn  us,  to  reach  our  hearts,  and  bring  us 
back  to  the  ways  of  salvation  ?  Whence  come  those  fears  of  the 
judgments  of  God,  that  secret  shame,  that  trouble  which  certain 
acts  of  your  life  cause  you,  and  which,  nevertheless,  have  had  no 
witnesses  but  God  and  yourself  ?  Do  these  terrors  come  from  your- 
self ?  Surely  not,  since  you  sometimes  experience  them  even  in 
spite  of  yourself,  and  since,  moreover,  our  natural  propensity  rather 
inclines  us  to  evil ;  but  the  thought,  the  desire  of  good  and  the 
regret  of  evil  comes  to  us  from  actual  Grace.  Whence  also  does  it 
come,  that  while  reading  a  pious  book,  hearing  a  good  instruction, 

*  John,  iv :  10. 


ON    GKACE.  333 

witnessing  some  act  of  virtue,  or  some  tragical  death  or  sad  event, 
men  sometimes  feel  inwardly  pressed  or  solicited  to  return  to  God. 
to  put  their  conscience  in  order, — to  have  recourse  to  the  sacra- 
ments ?  It  is  actual  Grace,  which,  assuming  all  sorts  of  forms, 
speaks  to  our  hearts,  warns  us  what  we  must  do  to  attain  salvation, 
and  when  it  has  excited  the  will  to  the  resolution  of  laboring  for 
it,  aids  us  to  accomplish  what  it  demands  of  us.  Who  can  com- 
prehend the  sweetness  of  its  action  on  our  will?  It  seeks  to 
triumph,  but  resorts  not  to  violence ;  it  knocks  at  the  door  of  our 
heart,  but  without  breaking  it ;  it  desires  to  have  it  opened,  but 
will  not  force  an  entrance.  It  studies  our  inclinations  to  accomo- 
date  itself  to  them;  it  watches  the  favorable  moments  to  insinuate 
itself;  it  employs  persuasion  to  gain  admittance  ;  it  tenders  delights 
in  order  to  succeed.  0  my  God  !  canst  Thou  make  men  a  present 
better  calculated  to  charm  and  attract  their  hearts  ?* 

Nevertheless,  this  actual  Grace  does  not  sanctify  us ;  it  does  not 
reconcile  us  with  God,  but  it  prepares  and  disposes  us  for  justifi- 
cation and  reconciliation.  This  happy  state  of  sanctity  is  the  effect 
of  habitual  or  sanctifying  Grace.  It  is  called  habitual,  because, 
whereas  actual  Grace  is  a  good  inspiration,  the  impression  of  which 
is  not  lasting,  on  the  contrary,  sanctifying  Grace  remains  in  the 
soul,  and  dwells  there  in  a  firm,  permanent,  uninterrupted  manner, 
as  long  as  we  lose  it  not  and  do  not  ourselves  renounce  it,  by  yield- 
ing to  some  grievous  fault.  So  that,  whether  sleeping  or  waking, 
— laboring  or  resting,  walking  or  sitting,  sick  or  healthy,  or  in 
whatever  state  we  be,  this  Grace  continually  dwells  in  us,  enriches 
and  beautifies  our  soul,  unites  it  to  God  by  charity,  and  renders  it 
pleasing  in  His  holy  sight.  It  is  a  participation  of  the  interior 
life, — of  the  sanctity  of  Jesus  Christ,^  and,  by  the  resemblance 
which  it  makes  in  us  to  Him,  it  renders  us  in  Him  the  object  of  the 
friendship  and  complacency  of  God.  The  Holy  Ghost,  with  the 
bright  train  of  all  His  gifts,  dwells  in  a  soul  so  loved,  so  adorned, 
and  imprints  upon  all  its  good  works  a  character  of  sanctity,  which 
mortal  sin  alone  can  destroy. 

Happy, — a  thousand  times  happy, — they  who  live  in  this  state  ! 
They  serve  God,  not  with  fear  and  disgust  like  slaves,  but  with 

*  Wisdom,  xii. 


334  SHORT    SERMONS. 

love,  like  affectionate  children.  To  serve  and  please  Him,  is  their 
glory  and  joy,  and  the  thought  of  Him,  whom  they  behold  in  every 
thing,  fills  them  with  consolations  amid  the  most  sensible  pains  of 
life.  It  is  in  this  state  of  habitual  Grace  that  we  must  live,  if  we 
would  live  like  saints,  and  it  is  in  this  state  we  must  die,  if  we 
would  die  as  those  predestined  to  glory ;  for  both  actual  and  habitual 
Grace  are  necessary  for  our  salvation. 

I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  a  man  may  not  perform,  without  the 
aid  of  Grace  and  by  natural  strength  alone,  works  conformable  to 
reason, — works  even  morally  good,  laudable,  and  worthy  of  some 
temporal  recompense.  For,  however  reason  may  have  been  ob- 
scured, and  the  will  of  man  weakened  by  sin,  he  still  has  sufficient 
light  to  know  at  least  the  first  principles  of  the  natural  law,  and 
sufficient  strength  to  resist  some  light  temptations,  and  to  practice 
some  moral  works,  when  he  has  no  great  difficulties  to  surmount  in 
doing  so.  Thus,  without  the  special  assistance  of  Grace,  a  man 
may  be  honest,  just  and  equitable  in  the  various  dealings  of  life,  a 
reasonable  husband,  a  good  father,  attentive  to  his  business,  even 
generous,  and  disposed  to  perform  the  good  works  which  honor  and 
humanity  demand.  But  what  I  mean  to  say,  my  Brethren,  is,  that 
it  is  only  by  the  help  of  Grace  that  we  can  perform  works  useful 
for  salvation,  and  meritorious  of  eternal  rewards.  For,  in  the 
supernatural  as  in  the  natural  order,  there  must  exist  some  pro- 
portion between  the  means  and  the  end  :  whence  it  follows  that  to 
attain  a  supernatural  end,  to  reach  heaven  by  performing  works 
meritorious  of  it,  man  has  need  of  a  supernatural  aid, — of  Grace. 
Thus,  in  the  supernatural  order,  we  can  do  nothing,  not  even  the 
smallest  thing,  without  a  supernatural  help, — without  actual  and 
interior  Grace.  We  can  not,  without  Grace,  either  will  or  do  any 
work  pertaining  to  salvation.  ''Without  me,"  says  Jesus  Christ, 
"you  can  do  nothing;"*  we  can  neither  have  faith  nor  the  begin- 
ning of  faith.  "  No  man,"  says  Jesus  Christ,  "can  come  to  me," 
that  is,  according  to  the  interpretation  of  St.  Augustine,  "  can 
believe  in  me,  unless  he  be  drawn,"  and  unless  he  receive  Grace 
"from  my  Father  who  sent  me  ;"f  we  can  neither  continue  nor 
complete  a  good  act  well  commenced;  for,  St.  Paul  says:  "it  is 

*  St.  John,  xv  :  5.  t  St.  John,  vi :  44. 


ON    GRACE.  335 

God  who  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  accomplish,  according 
to  His  good  will,"*  that  is,  who  produceth  in  you  both  the  will  and 
the  execution  of  the  good  deed.  Hence  this  prayer  of  the  Church : 
"  Prevent,  0  Lord,  our  actions  by  Thy  inspirations,  and  aid  us  to 
execute  them  by  Thy  Grace."  Neither  can  we  of  ourselves  prepare 
by  repentance  to  receive  the  benefits  of  justification.  "Convert  us 
O  Lord,  to  Thee  ;"  says  the  prophet  Jeremias,  "  and  we  shall  be 
converted  ;"f  nor,  in  fine,  can  we  overcome  temptations,  at  least, 
such  as  are  violent,  nor  resist  those  that  are  weak,  in  a  meritorious 
manner.  Therefore,  our  blessed  Lord  has  taught  us  to  repeat  this 
prayer  every  day:  "and  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us 
from  evil."J  A  man  may,  indeed,  overcome  one  temptation  by  fall- 
ing into  another ;  he  may  conquer  a  vice  or  bad  habit  by  yielding 
to  some  other  vice  and  contracting  some  other  bad  habit ;  he  may 
resist,  at  least  for  a  time,  an  evil  passion  through  pride,  and  to 
avoid  dishonor ;  these  are  victories  which  the  spirit  of  the  world 
may  achieve ;  but  Grace  having  no  part  in  them,  and  the  thought 
of  God  in  no  way  entering  into  this  resistance,  His  divine  Majesty 
makes  no  account  of  them ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  when  through 
motives  of  religion  we  resist  temptation,  that  we  may  not  offend 
God  and  incur  His  displeasure,  and  that  we  may  escape  the  severity 
of  His  justice,  this  is  a  victory  which  is  the  fruit  of  Grace,  and  for 
which  God  will  be  eternally  pleased  with  us. 

Let  us  humble  ourselves  then,  my  Brethren,  let  human  pride  be 
confounded  at  sight  of  our  weakness  and  total  inability  to  effect  any 
good  of  any  value  for  eternity.  Let  us  humble  ourselves  for  our 
sins,  because  they  are  our  own  work  ;  let  us  not  glory  in  our  good 
deeds,  for  they  are  the  works  of  God  in  us.  Let  us  be  ever  on  our 
guard,  lest  self-love  may  rob  us  of  the  fruit  of  them  by  making  us 
attribute  to  ourselves  what  belongs  not  to  us ;  our  entire  merit  con- 
sists in  cooperating, — in  obeying  the  impulses  of  Grace  by  the  con- 
sent of  our  will.  As  we  could  have  had  no  existence,  if  God  had 
not  given  us  life,  or  preserved  it  by  His  providence,  so,  neither  can 
we  acquire  that  spiritual  life  which  forms  saints,  nor  recover  it  after 
having  lost  it,  nor  preserve  it  without  the  help  of  Grace.  The 
commencement  of  our  conversion,  our  perseverance  in  good,  no  less 

«  Philli plans,  ii:  13.      f  Lamentations,  v :  21.      t  St.  Matthew,  vi :  13. 


336  SHORT    SERMONS. 

than  our  vocation  to  Christianity,  are  all  equally  above  our  strength ; 
we  never  could  have  attained  them  by  ourselves;  we  would  not 
have  even  the  thought  or  desire  of  them. 

I  say  more,  my  Brethren  ;  although  you  have  been  made  children 
of  God  and  of  His  Church  by  baptism ;  although  you  may  have 
preserved  your  faith  in  the  word  of  God,  and  still  hope  in  His 
mercy,  no  matter  how  numerous  and  strong  may  be  the  impressions 
of  actual  Grace  you  receive ;  without  habitual  Grace,  which  is  the 
fruit  of  charity,  your  life  is  useless,  your  works  are  without  merit, 
and  lost  for  heaven.  It  is  sanctifying  Grace  which  destroys  in  us  the 
reign  of  sin  and  establishes  in  its  stead  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ, 
by  uniting  us  to  Him.  To  impress  upon  the  minds  of  His  disciples 
the  necessity  of  this  Grace,  our  divine  Saviour  made  them  this 
comparison  :  "As  the  branch  can  not  bear  fruit  of  itself,  unless  it 
abide  in  the  vine  ;  so  neither  can  you,  unless  you  abide  in  me.  I 
am  the  vine ;  you  the  branches :  he  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in 
him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit :  for  without  me  you  can  do 
nothing.  If  any  one  remaineth  not  in  me,  he  shall  be  cast  forth  as 
a  branch,  and  shall  wither,  and  they  shall  gather  him  up,  and  cast 
him  into  the  fire,  and  he  burneth."*  What  is  it  then  that  gives 
value  to  our  good  actions,  and  places  between  them  and  the  happi- 
ness of  heaven  a  kind  of  proportion,  which  renders  them  worthy  of 
it?  It  is  the  union  which  sanctifying  Grace  gives  us  with  Jesus 
Christ.  United  and  incorporated  by  faith  and  charity  to  our  divine 
Head,  whatever  good  we  perform  in  this  state,  under  the  influence 
of  actual  Grace,  is  as  it  were  penetrated,  saturated,  impregnated  with 
His  sanctity ;  it  is  elevated  to  a  supernatural  order,  made  worthy 
of  being  received  by  God.  The  infinite  merits  of  the  Redeemer 
applied  to  our  works  communicate  to  them  a  sort  of  infinity,  which 
makes  them  equal  the  grandeur  of  the  recompense  to  which  we 
aspire.  Why  is  it,  my  Brethren,  that  the  fearful  punishments 
which  the  damned  endure  in  hell  will  be  for  ever  useless  to  them  ? 
It  is  because  they  will  be  forever  separated  from  Jesus  Christ, 
mortal  sip.  in  which  they  died,  having  consummated  this  deplorable 
separation  during  their  lives.  Why,  on  the  other  hand,  do  the 
sufferings  of  the  souls  in  purgatory  serve  to  expiate  their  faults  ? 

*  St.  John,  xv  :  4.  5,  6. 


ON    GKACK.  337 

It  is  because  they  have  passed  from  time  to  eternity  in  the  state  of 
sanctifying  Grace,  which  venial  sin  did  not  cause  them  to  lose  ;  by 
this  sacred  bond,  they  cling  to  Jesus  Christ  as  members  to  their 
head,  as  branches  to  the  trunk  of  the  tree  which  nourishes  them, 
and  the  merits  of  His  sacrifice  give  a  value  to  their  sufferings. 

Now,  mortal  sin  separates  us  from  Jesus  Christ.  All  our  good 
actions,  deprived  of  the  supernatural  principle  which  was  needed  to 
sanctify  them,  are  no  more  than  human  works,  stained  with  man's 
imperfections  and  misery.  "  He  that  gathereth  not  with  me, 
scattereth,"*  says  our  divine  Saviour.  It  is  true,  these  good  works, 
performed  by  an  impulse  of  actual  Grace,  may  lead  to  repentance  and 
sincere  conversion ;  in  this  respect  they  are  useful,  and  we  should 
therefore,  never  cease  practicing  them,  no  matter  how  great  and 
numerous  may  be  our  sins.  But  it  is  also  no  less  true,  that  as  long 
as  mortal  sin  abides  in  our  soul,  the  merit  of  these  good  works 
abides  on  earth  and  will  never  be  able  to  mount  to  heaven.  Give 
a  glass  of  cold  water  to  a  beggar  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  when 
you  are  in  the  state  of  sanctifying  Grace,  and  you  shall  receive  an 
eternal  recompense  for  the  act ;  but  distribute  the  most  abundant 
alms,  practice  the  most  exalted  virtues,  work  miracles ;  if,  when 
you  perform  these  things,  you  have  not  sanctifying  Grace,  not  one 
of  them  all  will  accompany  you  into  eternity,  f  And  we,  my 
Brethren,  who  exercise  among  you  the  holiest  functions,  who 
announce  the  word  of  God,  teach  others  the  way  of  salvation, 
reconcile  sinners  to  heaven,  renew  daily  at  the  altar  the  mysteries 
of  Grace  and  benediction,  good  works  of  the  highest  order,  whose 
virtues  comes  not  from  ourselves,  J  but  in  which  we  participate 
as  ministers  of  the  Lord ;  but  if,  I  say,  we  perform  them  without 
possessing  habitual  Grace,  if  the  sanctity  of  our  dispositions  corres- 
pond not  with  the  sublimity  of  our  functions,  what  will  it  profit  us  to 
have  exercised  them  ?  We  will  have  profaned  them,  and  they  will  be 
one  day  turned  against  us.  In  vain  will  we  say  to  God  on  the  great 
accounting  day :  "  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  Thy  name, 
and  in  Thy  name  cast  out  devils,  and  done  many  wonderful  works 
in  Thy  name?"  We  will  have  to  hear  the  dreadful  sentence  :  "I 
never  knew  you;  depart  from  me,  you  that  work  iniquity. §" 

*  St.  Luke,  xi :  23.    f  1  Cor.,  xiii :  1,  9,  3.    J  1  Cor.,  iv  :  1 .    $  St.  Matt.,  vii  ;  22, 23. 
29 


338  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Learn  from  this,  my  Brethren,  the  necessity  of  habitual  Grace, 
to  render  our  works,  great  or  small,  religious  or  common,  of  any 
merit  in  the  sight  of  God.  Oh  !  how  many  actions,  good  in  them- 
selves, have  been  lost  to  us  during  the  course  of  our  lives  for  want 
of  this  habitual  Grace  !  Count  up,  if  you  can,  the  numberless  acts 
of  religion,  of  alms-deeds,  the  duties  you  have  fulfilled,  afflictions 
you  have  supported,  the  kind  services  you  have  rendered  your  neigh- 
bor, which  ought  to  have  advanced  your  eternal  salvation,  and 
which  yet  did  not  advance  it,  because  you  were  not  in  the  state  of 
Grace  when  you  performed  them. 

I  have  now  explained  to  you,  my  Brethren,  the  value,  and  the 
necessity  of  Grace ;  profit  by  the  truths  which  you  have  heard. 
Do  not  forget  that  if  Grace  anticipates  us,  we  must,  on  our  part, 
hear  and  follow  its  inspirations.  Let  us  not  oppose  to  its  loving 
advances  the  unpardonable  crime  of  resistance  and  ingratitude.* 

Grace  waits  for  us, — it  bears  with  us  for  entire  years  ;  but  let  us 
fear  lest  we  tire  out  its  patience.  There  are  sinners  for  whom  God 
does  not  delay,  and  on  whom,  for  the  example  of  others,  He  exer- 
cises His  just  wrath,  by  permitting  them  to  die  in  impenitence ; 
with  regard  to  those  for  whom  God  waits,  there  is  a  term,  after 
which  He  waits  no  longer. 

Grace  procures  for  us  favorable  occasions;  let  us  not  permit  them 
to  pass  unheeded,  lest  we  never  again  find  them,  and  that  if  we  miss 
them,  there  will  remain  for  us  but  the  crime  and  the  misery  of  having 
once  more  abused,  to  our  perdition,  the  goodness  of  God,  who  had 
prepared  them  for  us.  May  God  preserve  us  from  this  ! — AMEN. 

*  Acts,  vii:  51. — Hebrews,  iii :  7,  8. 


PAET  V. 

SERMON  LXIX. 

ON  THE    SACRAMENTS  IN   GENERAL. 


"  And  of  his  fulness  we  all  have  received,  and  grace  for  grace." — ST.  JOHN,  i :  16. 

To  enable  us  to  avoid  sin,  to  practice  virtue  and  observe  the 
commandments  of  God  and  His  Church,  and  to  attain  heaven,  grace 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  us,  for  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  said, 
"  without  me,  you  can  do  nothing ;"  we  need  sanctifying  grace,  which 
is  a  supernatural  and  gratituous  gift,  which  dwells  in  us  and  which 
renders  us  just,  holy  and  agreeable  in  the  sight  of  God ;  we  need 
actual  grace,  which  is  a  supernatural  aid,  gratuitously  bestowed  by 
God  to  illumine  our  minds  with  light  and  to  touch  our  hearts  with 
good  impulses.  Now,  my  Brethren,  it  is  by  means  of  the  Sacra- 
ments, as  the  Council  of  Trent  teaches,  that  all  true  justice  begins, 
is  increased,  or  recovered  after  having  been  lost.  The  Sacraments 
were  established  to  impart  to  us  sanctifying  grace,  to  restore  it  to 
us  if  we  have  unhappily  lost  it  by  sin,  to  increase  it  when  it  already 
adorns  our  soul,  and  to  give  to  us  the  actual  helps  which  aid  us  in. 
accomplishing  the  holy  will  of  God.  The  knowledge  of  the  Sacra- 
ments is  therefore  useful  and  even  necessary  for  all  Christians.  I 
proceed  therefore  to  make  known  to  you  these  powerful  means  of 
salvation. 

The  word  Sacrament,  which  is  derived  from  sacred  or  holy,  is 
understood  here  as  a  sign  or  symbolical  rite,  established  by  God  for 
men  as  a  means  of  salvation.  A  Sacrament  is  a  sensible  sign,  insti- 
tuted by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  produce  in  our  souls  the  grace 
which  it  signifies.  These  signs  of  grace  are  seven  in  number,  viz : 

(  339  ) 


340  8  11  UK T    SEKMONS. 

Baptism,  Confirmation,  Eucharist,  Penance,  Extreme  Unction, 
Holy  Orders  and  Matrimony.  They  are  signs,  because  they  indicate 
or  make  known  to  us  other  things  ;  they  are  sensible,  because  they 
are  composed  of  actions  which  we  see,  and  of  words  which  we 
hear,  that  signify  to  us  the  invisible  grace  which  they  produce  in 
souls.  In  Baptism,  for  example,  we  see  the  water  poured  on  the 
head  of  the  child,  we  hear  the  words  pronounced  by  the  priest ; 
here  is  the  Sacrament, — the  sensible  sign  :  this  signifies  and  leads 
us  to  understand  that,  as  water  washes  the  body,  so  Baptism  washes 
the  soul  of  all  its  stains.  Our  divine  Saviour  was  pleased  to  have 
regard  to  the  wants  of  our  nature, — to  our  weakness.  Since  the 
fall  of  man,  such  is  his  weakness,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  for 
him  to  rise  to  the  knowledge  of  spiritual  things  otherwise  than  by 
means  of  sensible  ones.  It  was  therefore  to.  assist  us  in  compre- 
hending more  easily  what  His  power  operates  visibly  in  our  souls, 
that  the  Sovereign  Master  of  all  things  has  been  pleased  to  figure 
and  represent  this  mysterious  operation  by  signs  taken  from  sensible 
things.  However,  my  Brethren,  let  us  not  deceive  ourselves,  the 
Sacraments  are  signs  which  serve  not  solely  to  show,  to  indicate 
the  presence  of  invisible  grace,  but  which  also  produce  it  in  our 
souls  when  we  offer  no  obstacle  to  it. 

The  Sacraments  are  remedies  capable  of  purifying  us  from  sin, — 
they  are  signs  of  grace  which  justify  us  before  God  ;  they  must, 
therefore,  be  effects  of  a  divine  power.  Jesus  Christ  alone,  true 
God  and  true  man,  could  have  instituted  the  Sacraments.  It  was 
only  the  Man-God,  who  could  have  merited  for  us  grace  by  His 
passion  and  death  ;  it  was  only  the  Man-God  who  could  unite  His 
merits,  His  satisfactions,  and  the  price  of  His  sufferings  to  certain 
outward  signs  ;  He  alone  could  form  from  His  blood  those  divine 
fountains  whose  waters  spring  up  to  eternal  life,  and  who  could  open 
those  channels  through  which  these  waters  flow  into  our  souls,  to 
supply  all  our  necessities,  and  heal  all  our  infirmities.  The  Sacra- 
ments could  have  been  instituted  only  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
He  alone  was  able  to  work  this  prodigy.  What  respect  ought  not 
this  dogma  of  our  faith  inspire  us  for  these  sacred  signs  of  salva- 
tion, since  the  dignity  and  excellence  of  Him  who  gave  them  to  us, 
infinitely  enhance  the  value  and  importance  of  what  He  has  given  ! 
With  what  piety,  with  what  religious  awe,  but  also  with  what  filial 


ON    THE    SACRAMENTS    IN    GENERAL.  341 

confidence  ought  we  not  to  approach  those  sacred  fountains  of  life, 
which  flow  from  the  sacred  side  of  our  divine  Redeemer,  and  impart 
to  us  abundantly  the  graces  and  blessings  of  the  Lord ! 

What  graces  do  we  receive  from  the  Sacraments?  They  give 
us,  restore  to  us  or  augment  in  us  santifying  or  habitual  grace. 
Baptism  gives  it,  Penance  restores  it  when  we  have  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  lose  it  by  sin;  the  other  Sacraments  increase  it  in  our  souls. 
Baptism  and  Penance  are  called  Sacraments  of  the  dead,  because  it 
is  not  necessary  that  those  who  receive  these  should  be  in  the  state 
of  grace,  and  because  Jesus  Christ  instituted  those  two  Sacraments 
to  bring  to  life  those  who  are  dead, — to  give  or  restore  to  sinners 
the  spiritual  life  of  grace.  The  five  other  Sacraments  increase  this 
spiritual  life  in  us ;  they  suppose  that  those  who  receive  them  are 
in  the  state  of  grace  and  in  the  friendship  of  God ;  hence  they  are 
called  the  Sacraments  of  the  living,  as  they  render  men  more  just, 
more  holy  and  more  agreeable  in  the  eyes  of  the  Almighty. 

Beside  habitual  grace,  which  the  Sacraments  infuse  into  the  souls 
of  those  who  worthily  receive  them,  they  also  confer  another  which 
is  called  Sacramental  grace,  and  which  is  peculiar  to  each  Sacra- 
ment. This  grace  is  a  certain  right  to  receive,  according  to  our 
wants,  the  actual  assistance  necessary  for  us  to  discharge  the  obliga- 
tions to  which  the  Sacraments  engage  us,  to  surmount  the  obstacles 
which  we  encounter  in  the  performance  of  those  duties,  and  to 
attain  the  ends  for  which  the  Sacraments  were  instituted. 

In  five  of  the"  seven  Sacraments  there  are  three  which  imprint  a 
spiritual  and  indelible  character  upon  the  souls  of  those  who  receive 
them,  and  which,  for  this  reason,  can  be  received  but  once.  This 
character  signifies  that  we  consecrate  ourselves  to  Jesus  Christ,  to 
be  either  His  servants,  His  soldiers  or  His  ministers.  The  princes 
of  the  earth  have  their  servants ;  they  have  their  soldiers  to  fight 
for  them ;  they  have  their  ministers  to  whom  they  confide  the  care 
of  their  states,  and  all  are  invested  with  certain  signs  or  characters 
intended  to  distinguish  them  from  the  servants,  soldiers  and  minis- 
ters of  other  kings,  and  by  which  they  are  at  the  same  time  dis- 
tinguished from  one  another.  Thus,  Jesus  Christ,  the  head  of  the 
Church,  has  His  servants  and  His  children, — the  faithful,  who  are 
members  of  His  mystical  body,  and  who  are  distinguished  from 
infidels  bv  the  character  with  which  thev  have  been  adorned  at  their 


342  SHORT    SERMONS. 

baptism.  He  has  His  holy  army, — His  soldiers,  who  combat  for 
the  faith  and  defend  it  against  His  enemies, — against  the  impious, 
who  attack  it ;  and  they  are  distinguished  from  those  who  have  not 
the  same  honor,  by  the  character  which  the  Sacrament  of  Confirma- 
tion has  imprinted  on  their  souls.  Finally,  He  has  His  ministers, 
who  govern  His  Church  and  distribute  spiritual  food  to  His  people  ; 
these  are  principally  bishops  and  priests,  who  are  distinguished 
from  the  simple  faithful  by  the  character  which  they  have  received 
in  Holy  Orders.  This  character, — this  spiritual  seal  stamped  upon 
our  souls,  remains  there,  forever  indelible.  For  all  eternity  it 
will  serve  to  glorify  him  who  will  have  faithfully  fulfilled  the  duties 
of  his  vocation,  during  his  earthly  pilgrimage ;  and  in  heaven,  the 
angels  shall  honor  in  a  special  manner,  those  who  are  invested  with 
it.  It  will  contribute  to  the  torments,  and  augment  the  shame  of 
him,  who,  unfaithful  to  his  holy  calling,  will  have  neglected  its  obli- 
gations and  duties ;  it  will  serve  as  a  motive  to  the  devils  to  cover 
with  derision  and  confusion  the  unfortunate  wretches  who  have  been 
honored  with  this  august  sign  on  earth,  but  who  have  been  recreant 
to  their  sacred  trust. 

Whether  the  priest  who  administers  the  Sacraments,  be  good  or 
bad,  in  a  state  of  grace  or  in  that  of  sin,  he  can  not  prevent  the 
Sacraments  from  producing  their  effects,  from  giving  us  grace  and 
operating  our  sanctification,  if  we,  who  receive  them,  oppose  no 
obstacle  to  them :  because  the  Sacraments  operate  by  the  virtue 
which  Jesus  Christ  has  attached  to  them, — a  virtue  which  consists 
in  the  application  of  the  blood  and  merits  of  this  divine  Saviour's 
death  and  passion;  and  because  the  Sacraments  are  like  seven 
channels  or  fountains  of  salvation,  opened  by  Jesus  Christ  himself, 
and  through  which,  notwithstanding  the  un worthiness  of  the  min- 
ister, the  adorable  blood  flows  in  great  abundance,  and  with  it  all 
the  graces  by  which  we  are  sanctified. 

Let  us,  therefore,  my  Brethren,  approach  those  divine  fountains, 
but  let  us  go  with  holy  dispositions;  for,  to  receive  the  Sacra- 
ments unworthily,  is  to  commit  a  great  sin, — it  is  to  be  guilty  of 
sacrilege, — of  a  horrible  profanation  of  our  divine  Saviour's  merits  ! 
His  blood  indeed  flows,  but  it  imparts  not  sanctity  and  salvation, — 
it  cries  for  vengeance.  For  example ;  in  the  Sacrament  of  Penance, 
the  sentence  of  grace  is  turned  into  one  of  reprobation  against  the 


ON    THE    SACRAMENTS    IN    GENERAL.  343 

impenitent  sinners ;  the  divine  nourishment  of  the  Eucharist  is 
changed  into  deadly  poison  for  the  souls  of  profaners.  Oh !  may 
God  grant  that  you  never  experience  this  misfortune.  You  will 
avoid  it  and  receive  from  God,  by  virtue  of  the  Sacraments,  many 
graces  and  blessings,  if  you  present  yourselves  with  good  disposi- 
tions, if  you  receive  the  living  waters  from  the  fountains  of  the 
Lord,  into  a  heart  duly  prepared.  Come  often,  my  Brethren,  thus 
disposed,  that  you  may  work  out  your  salvation.  Have  a  great 
esteem  for  these  august  Sacraments,  for  they  are  the  richest  and 
most  generous  gifts  which  God  could  bestow, — the  greatest  evidence 
of  the  love  which  He  bears  to  sinful  men,  since  it  is  in  the  Sacra- 
ments that  He  gives  His  merits, — the  price  of  the  blood  which  He 
poured  out  upon  the  cross :  He  here  gives  himself, — He  becomes  in 
them  the  food  of  our  souls,-— the  pledge  of  eternal  life.  So,  be 
sure,  my  Brethren,  that  they  alone  keep  away  from  the  Sacraments, 
neglect  them  and  forsake  them, — who  wish  to  persevere  in  sin,  who 
count  it  as  nothing  to  be  in  disgrace  with  God,  who  have  no  care 
for  their  eternal  salvation,  and  live  like  pagans,  without  God  in 
this  world  and  without  hope  for  the  next.  Senseless  men  !  miserable 
wretches ! 

Be  Thou,  0  my  divine  Savior,  for  ever  blessed,  for  having  opened 
in  Thy  Church  these  inexhaustible  sources  of  grace  and  benediction  ! 
By  giving  us  so  many  means  of  salvation  Thou  hast  made  known 
to  the  world  how  much  thou  lovest  us  and  desirest  our  salvation. 
Our  most  ardent  desire  shall  ever  be  to  correspond  to  the  views  of 
Thy  mercy  in  our  regard.  We  shall  go  to  draw  from  these  saving 
fountains  the  living  water  which  purifies  the  soul  from  its  stains  ; 
we  shall  go  there  where  our  treasure  is,  to  seek  for  light  in  our 
darkness,  strength  in  our  weakness,  consolation  in  our  sorrows, 
courage  in  our  combats ;  thus  will  we  live  virtuous,  Christian  lives, 
expecting  with  confidence  fqom  Your  love,  the  life  of  heaven, — 
Yourself, — in  a  happy  eternity. — AMEN. 


344  SHORT    S  E  K  3£  O  N  d 


SERMON  LXX. 

ON  BAPTISM. 


"  Amen,  ainen  I  say  to  thee,  unless  a  man  be  born  again  of  watei  and  tnc-  Holy 
Ghost,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." — ST.  JOHN,  iii  ;  o. 

BAPTISM  being  the  first  of  all  the  sacraments,  the  most  necessary 
of  all,  and,  as  the  holy  fathers  call  it,  the  door  of  all  the  others, 
since  we  can  not  participate  in  them  until  we  have  received  it,  it  is 
on  this  sacrament  that  we  will  first  fix  our  attention.  We  received 
this  sacrament  as  soon  as  we  entered  into  life  ;  but  how  many  are 
there  among  us  who  know  not  the  excellence  of  the  grace  which 
was  conferred  upon  them  at  their  Baptism  ?  This  ignorance  is 
the  cause  of  most  of  the  evils  and  disorders  which  prevail  in  the 
world.  Thus,  the  Roman  Catechism  tells  us  that  this  is  a  matter 
of  such  importance  and  necessity,  that  pastors  of  souls  can  not  too 
often  explain  it  to  their  flocks.  I  will  therefore  endeavor  to  give 
you  to-day  as  perfect  a  knowledge  as  I  can  of  all  that  concerns 
Baptism,  the  first  and  the  most  necessary  of  all  the  sacraments. 

Baptism  is  a  sacrament  instituted  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to 
efface  original  sin,  to  make  us  Christians,  children  of  God  and  of 
the  Church.  The  Apostle  St.  Paul  calls  Baptism  a  sacrament  of 
regeneration,  wherein  the  Holy  Ghost  imparts  to  us  a  new  birth. 
When  was  it  that  our  divine  Saviour  instituted  Baptism?  It  was 
three  years  before  His  death,  when  He  received  the  Baptism  of 
John  in  the  waters  of  the  Jordan,  which  He  sanctified,  and  to 
which  He  imparted  the  virtue  of  regenerating  souls. 

Baptism 'is  the  first  of  the  sacraments,  in  the  sense  that  it  must 
be  received  before  the  others,  that  it  introduces  us  into  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  it  is  the  door  of  the  spiritual  life.  No 
one,  not  even  a  newly-born  infant,  can  be  admitted  into  4ieaven 
unless  the  holy  waters  of  Baptism  have  purified  his  soul  from  all 
its  stains.  Why  so  ?  Because,  as  descendants  of  Adam,  heirs  of 


ON    BAPTISM.  345 

his  prevarication,  dead  to  grace,  in  consequence  of  original  sin, 
we  were  born  children  of  wrath,  the  gates  of  heaven  being  closed 
against  ns.  Now  we  can  pass  from  this  state  of  sin  to  the  state 
of  grace,  which  Jesus  Christ  has  merited  for  us,  only  by  receiving 
the  sacrament  of  regeneration  ;  for  our  Saviour  has  said  :  "  Unless 
a  man  be  born  again  of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  can  not 
enter  the  kingdom  of  God."  Those  therefore  who  have  not  the 
happiness  of  being  clothed  with  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  being  incor- 
porated with  Him  in  Baptism,  can  never  have  part  in  eternal  beati- 
tude, and  against  them  the  gates  of  heaven  remain  shut. 

But,  if  a  man  can  not  receive  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  can  the 
want  of  it  be  in  no  way  supplied  ?  Yes,  my  Brethren,  the  good- 
ness of  God  is  willing  that  ordinary  Baptism  may  be  supplied  by 
martyrdom,  which  is,  for  this  reason,  called  the  "Baptism  of 
blood,"  or  by  perfect  contrition,  with  the  desire  of  being  baptized, 
which  is  called  "the  Baptism  of  desire."  A  Jew  falls  sick, — he 
can  neither  speak,  nor  move,  nor  make  known  what  passes  in  his 
soul.  Nevertheless,  he  seeks  the  Lord  in  the  sincerity  of  his  heart  ; 
he  already  desires  to  enter  into  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, — he 
repents  of  his  sins, — has  a  true  sorrow  for  them, — a  perfect  con- 
trition ;  but  he  dies  without  having  received  the  Sacrament  of  Bap- 
tism ;  will  he  be  saved  ?  Yes,  for  he  goes  into  the  presence  of  God 
with  the  Baptism  of  desire,  which  has  purified  his  soul,  and  ren- 
dered it  holy  and  spotless.  In  the  early  ages  of  Christianity,  which 
were  also  days  of  persecution,  pagans  were  to  be  seen,  who,  struck 
with  the  faith,  the  firmness,  and  the  heroic  patience  of  the  holy 
martyrs,  cried  out :  "  We  are  Christians,"  and  immediately  de- 
livered themselves  up  to  death.  They  died,  children  of  God, — they 
were  baptized  in  their  own  blood, — they  ascended  into  heaven, — 
and  received  from  the  hands  of  Jesus  Christ  the  palm  of  victory. 
Such  was  also  the  glorious  fate  of  the  infants  whom  Herod  caused 
to  be  massacred  through  hatred  of  the  Saxiour  of  the  world :  their 
blood  was  shed  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Church  honors  them  as 
the  flower  of  martyrs.  But  now-a-days,  my  Brethren,  when  the 
sword  of  persecution  can  no  longer  strike  down  the  disciples  of  the 
Saviour  of  mankind,  it  is  in  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  properly  so 
called,  that  our  souls  must  be  first  cleansed  arid  purified.  And, 
with  regard  to  your  children,  Christian  parents,  remember,  that  by 


SHORT    SERMONS. 

the  extreme  tenderness  of  their  age,  they  are  incapable  of  conceiv- 
ing the  thought  of  salvation, — the  desire  of  attaining  heaven,  and 
that  they  must  be  regenerated  in  the  holy  waters  of  the  sacra- 
ment. Delay  not,  therefore,  for  it  is  a  sacred  and  indispensable 
.  duty  for  you  to  carry  your  children  to  the  church  and  to  have  them 
solemnly  baptized  as  soon  as  it  can  be  done  without  danger  to  their 
health.  It  would  be  a  great  sin  on  your  part,  to  deprive  them  of 
the  grace  of  this  precious  sacrament,  when  there  exists  no  necessity 
for  delaying  it.  Beside,  life  at  this  tender  age  is  so  frail,  that  it 
is  exposed  to  numberless  perils. 

In  every  sacrament,  there  are  two  parts,  which  necessarily  enter 
into  its  composition  and  form  its  substance ;  this  is  what  theo- 
logians call  the  matter  and  the  form.  They  give  the  name  of  the 
matter  to  the  things,  or  the  external  and  sensible  actions  which  are 
used  in  conferring  a  sacrament,  and  the  name  of  the  form  to  the 
words  which  the  minister  pronounces  while  applying  the  matter. 
Thus,  in  Baptism,  water  is  the  matter  of  the  sacrament,  and  the 
words  :  "I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  are  its  form. 

The  matter  of  Baptism,  therefore,  is  every  species  of  natural 
water,  water  from  the  sea,  river,  marsh,  wells,  springs,  whatever 
simply  bears  the  name  of  water.  I  beg  you,  my  Brethren,  to 
remark  here  the  infinite  goodness  of  our  Lord.  Baptism  being 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  salvation  of  all  mankind,  without  any 
exception,  God  has  chosen  as  matter  for  this  sacrament,  water, 
which  is  always  and  everywhere  within  the  reach  of  every  body. 
Moreover,  water  represents  most  appropriately  the  effects  of  Bap- 
tism ;  it  washes  the  stains  from  the  body,  and  by  it,  the  action  of 
this  sacrament  upon  the  soul,  which  it  purifies  from  its  sins,  is 
sensibly  expressed ;  water  has  the  property  of  cooling  the  body,  so 
Baptism  has  the  virtue  of  extinguishing,  at  least  to  a  great  extent, 
the  heat  of  the  passions. 

By  another  trait  of  His  infinite  goodness,  which  wills  that  "our 
names  should  be  written  in  heaven,"  the  Lord,  who  appoints  His 
priests  as  the  ordinary  ministers  of  Baptism,  nevertheless,  in  case 
of  necessity,  permits  that  this  sacrament  may  be  administered,  but 
without  ceremony,  by  all  persons,  no  matter  to  what  religion  they 
may  belong.  In  cases  of  necessity,  Baptism  is  valid,  whether  it  be 


OF    BAPTISM.  347 

conferred  by  a  Jew,  an  infidel  or  a  heretic,  provided  while  baptiz- 
ing, he  has  the  intention  of  doing  what  the  Catholic  Church  does, 
when  she  administers  this  sacrament. 

There  is  no  one  among  yon  who  may  not  sometimes  be  under  the 
necessity  of  giving  Baptism  ;  it  is  therefore  highly  important  that* 
you  should  know  the  manner  of  conferring  it.  I  am  aware  that  for 
the  valid  administration  of  this  sacrament,  one  ablution  is  sufficient ; 
but  we  must  conform  to  the  practice  of  the  Church,  which  prescribes 
that  the  water  should  be  poured  on  the  head  of  the  child  three  times. 
It  is  not  enough  to  let  fall  a  few  drops  of  water,  nor  is  it  sufficient 
to  dip  the  linger  or  other  thing  in  the  water  and  with  this  touch  the 
child  ;  the  water  must  be  taken  in  a  vase  or  cup  and  poured  on  the 
head  of  the  person  to  be  baptized,  taking  care  that  it  touch  the 
body,  for  it  is  not  sufficient  that  it  touch  the  hair  or  the  clothes. 
While  you  are  pouring  the  water  you  must  pronounce  the  words  of 
the  form.  This  is  the  way  you  must  baptize,  if  ever  you  are  called 
on  to  confer  this  sacrament.  You  separate  the  hairs  of  the  head, 
and  while  saying:  "  I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,"  you 
pour  the  water  in  the  form  of  a  cross;  at  the  words,  "and  of  the 
Son,"  you  again  pour  the  water  in  the  form  of  a  cross;  and  con- 
clude by  pouring  the  water  a  third  time  in  the  same  form,  while 
saying,  "  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  It  is  upon  the  head  that  the 
water  should  be  poured,  because  the  head  is,  as  it  were,  the  seat 
where  all  the  interior  and  exterior  senses  of  man  meet ;  but  in  case 
of  necessity,  the  child  must  be  baptized  on  any  member  that  can 
be  reached,  when  it  can  not  be  done  on  the  head,  or  any  other  prin- 
cipal part  of  the  body.  Yet,  it  is  doubtful  whether  this  baptism 
is  valid :  you  should  therefore  repeat  it  conditionally.  It  certainly 
is  null,  if  one  person  were  to  pour  the  water,  while  another  pro- 
nounces the  words  of  the  form :  it  would  also  be  null,  if  a  substan- 
tial change  be  introduced  into  the  form  ;  for  example,  if  the  bap- 
tizer  were  to  say:  "I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,"  without  expressing  the  distinction  of  the  three  divine 
persons  ;  for  our  Lord  required  that  we  should  pronounce  the  names 
of  the  three  persons  of  the  adorable  Trinity.  It  would  likewise  be 
null,  if  the  person  who  gives  Baptism  has  not  the  intention  at 
least,  of  doing  what  the  Church  does.  But,  although  you  should 
have  the  misfortune  of  not  believing  in  the  efficacy  or  divine 


348  SHORT   SERMONS. 

institution  of  the  sacraments,  although  you  should  have  neither 
the  will  nor  the  thought  of  producing  grace,  or  of  conferring  a  sacra- 
ment, nevertheless,  you  would  confer  it,  provided  you  had  the 
intention  of  doing  what  is  regarded  in  the  Church  as  a  sacrament, 
and  the  Baptism  which  you  would  thus  give  is  valid. 

May  God  be  forever  praised  !  His  merciful  goodness  has  dis- 
tinguished us  from  many  millions  of  men,  and  has  called  us  to  the 
grace  of  Baptism.  At  its  holy  font  we  became  Christians,  there 
we  acquired  the  right  to  call  God  "our  Father;"  "but  when  the 
goodness  and  kindness  of  our  Saviour  God  appeared :  not  by  the 
works  of  justice,  which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  His  mercy 
he  saved  us,  by  the  laver  of  regeneration,  and  renovation  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  whom  He  hath  poured  forth  upon  us  abundantly,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour :  that  being  justified  by  His  grace,  we  may 
be  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  life  everlasting."*  How  many 
thousands  live  and  die  without  Baptism,  who  will  never  be  admitted 
into  heaven !  This  misfortune  the  hand  of  God  has  averted  from 
our  heads,  by  granting  us  the  grace  of  Baptism  without  our  having 
ever  done  anything  to  render  ourselves  worthy  of  it.  We  were 
born  children  of  wrath,  and  the  holy  waters  of  Baptism  have  made 
us  children  of  God !  Let  the  remembrance  of  the  mercies  of  the 
Lord  never  depart  from  our  minds  all  the  days  of  our  mortal  career, 
and  let  our  lives  he  ever  pure,  holy  and  Christian  like,  that  we  may 
merit  the  happiness  of  celebrating  and  singing  the  praises  of  our 
Saviour,  with  the  angels  and  saints  in  the  mansion  of  bliss.— AMEN. 

*  Titus,  iii :  4,  5,  6,  7. 


OF    BAPTISM.  349 

SERMON  LXXI. 

SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM (CONTINUED.) 


"According  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  laver  of  regeneration,  and  the  reno- 
vation of  the  Holy  Ghost." — TITUS,  iii :  5. 

WE  are  all,  as  children  of  Adam,  sinners  and  rebels  to  God. 
We  have  inherited  his  disobedience  and  his  sin,  and  consequently 
the  punishment  which  was  inflicted  upon  him.  Alas !  the  sin 
committed  in  the  terrestial  paradise  has  reduced  us  to  a  most 
deplorable  state !  We  were  born  in  sin, — we  were  born  deprived 
of  the  grace  of  God  and  children  of  wrath.  If  death  had  surprised 
us  in  this  sad  state,  we  would  have  been  forever  excluded  from  the 
happiness  of  heaven,  for  the  Holy  of  Holies  must  necessarily  have 
rejected  the  impure  vessel  wherein  sin  was  found.  But,  eternal 
thanks  to  the  infinite  goodness  of  God !  He  condescends  to  receive 
us  into  His  arms  on  our  very  entrance  into  the  world.  He  admits 
us  into  His  temple,  to  favor  us  with  the  most  signal  blessing  of  His 
mercy;  one  of  His  ministers  pours  upon  us  the  holy  waters  of 
Baptism,  which  makes  us  Christians,  washes  and  purifies  our  souls, 
raises  them  from  the  grave  of  sin  to  the  life  of  grace,  by  communi- 
cating to  us  sanctification,  justice,  redemption,  the  divine  adoption, 
the  effusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  eternal  life,  and  the  kingdom  of  God 
himself,  Would  to  God  that  I  could  make  you  thoroughly  under- 
stand the  effect  of  this  august  sacrament !  This  is  the  grace  which 
I  ask  through  the  intercession  of  Mary. 

"  I  will  pour  upon  you  clean  water,"  spoke  the  Lord,  "  and  you 
shall  be  cleansed  from  all  your  filthiness."*  Such,  my  Brethren,  is 
the  effect  which  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  produces.  It  entirely 
blots  out  every  sin  which  existed  in  the  soul ;  it  blots  out  original 
sin,  which  we  brought  with  us  into  the  world  as  children  of  Adam, 

*  Ezechiel,  xxxvi :  25. 


350  SHORT   SERMONS. 

and  it  blots  out  all  actual  sins,  no  matter  how  numerous,  which  we 
may  have  committed  before  its  reception ;  it  remits  beside,  all  the 
temporal  and  eternal  pains  due  to  these  sins.  "There  is  no  con- 
demnation," says  the  Apostle  St.  Paul,  "for  those  who  live  in 
Jesus  Christ.  You  were  stained  with  all  these  iniquities,  but  the 
waters  of  regeneration  have  purified  you  and  you  are  sanctified.  If 
we  be  grafted  in  Jesus  Christ  by  the  resemblance  of  His  death,  we 
are  also  like  Him  by  the  resemblance  of  His  resurrection,  which  has 
been  perfected."*  In  Baptism,  all  is  remitted, — all  is  forgiven, 
and  God  communicates  to  us  here  without  reserve  the  blood  and 
merits  of  His  divine  Son.  A  Jew,  a  pagan,  a  great  criminal 
receives  Baptism  and  dies  immediately  after  having  received  it ;  his 
soul  ascends  to  heaven  and  goes  to  enjoy  the  vision  of  God,  for 
there  is  not  the  slightest  spot  upon  it.  Be  Thou  blessed,  0  divine 
Saviour,  who  hast  merited  for  us  these  ineffable  graces  by  Thy 
sufferings  and  death  !  How  great  the  obligation  which  we  have 
contracted,  ever  to  prove  ourselves  grateful  for  so  much  goodness 
and  mercy  !  Divine  Saviour,  I  will  love  Thee  with  my  whole 
heart  and  with  my  whole  soul. 

After  blotting  out  every  stain  of  sin  which  disfigured  our  souls, 
the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  procures  for  us  the  inestimable  gift  of 
sanctifying  grace,  which  renders  our  souls  just,  holy,  beautiful  and 
bright  in  the  eyes  of  God.  Precious  grace,  which,  entering  into 
our  souls,  brings  us  as  presents  from  the  God  of  goodness,  faith, 
hope,  charity,  and  the  infused  virtues,  with  the  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost !  Precious  grace,  which  induces  God  to  adopt  us  as  His 
children  !  We  were  "  children  of  wrath,"  and  we  beacme,  "child- 
ren of  adoption."  "Behold  what  manner  of  charity  the  Father  hath 
bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  named  and  should  be  the  sons 
of  God."f  We  have,  as  Father,  according  to  grace,  Him  who  is 
the  Father  of  Jesus  Christ  by  nature.  Jesus  Christ  no  longer  calls 
us  servants, — He  honors  us  with  the  name  of  friends.  Even  this 
is  not  enough, — He  wills  that  we  should  be  His  brethren;  He 
desires  that  we  should  be  incorporated  with  Him, — that  we  should 
become  His  members, — that  we  should  live  with  His  life ;  that  we 
should  be  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Yes,  the  moment  the  holy 

*  Romans  and  Corinthians.  t  1  St.  John,  iii :  1. 


OF    BAPTISM.  351 

waters  of  Baptism  are  poured  upon  our  heads,  the  Holy  Ghost 
unites  himself  to  us.  The  same  Spirit,  says  St.  Augustine,  who 
formed  the  hody  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  womb  of  Mary,  gives  birth 
to  the  Christian  in  the  baptismal  font.  He  makes  us  so  many 
temples  in  which  He  is  pleased  to  dwell.  I  repeat  it,  my  Brethren, 
to  impress  it  the  more  on  your  minds  :  by  Baptism  we  become 
children  of  God  the  Father,  members  and  brethren  of  Jesus  Christ, 
— temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  we  are  made  the  children 
of  the  Church, — members  of  that  holy  society  which  our  divine 
Saviour  came  to  establish  on  earth,  that  He  might  form  His  elect, 
and  prepare  them  for  the  heritage  which  He  so  much  desires  to 
share  with  them  in  heaven.  By  this  sacrament  then,  my  Brethren, 
we  obtain  a  right,  as  children  of  God  and  His  Church,  to  partake 
of  all  the  other  sacraments,  of  the  holy  Sacrifice,  of  the  good 
works  and  of  the  prayers  of  all  the  faithful,  whether  on  earth,  in 
purgatory  or  in  heaven, — to  have  part  in  all  the  graces, — in  all  the 
benefits  common  to  this  divine  society. 

What  return  shall  we  make  the  Lord  for  the  signal  favors  His 
infinite  mercy  has  bestowed  upon  us  ?  My  Brethren,  what  this  God 
of  goodness  demands  of  us  is,  that  we  should  offer  to  Him  every 
day  the  faithful  fulfillment  of  the  promises  which  we  made  to  Him 
at  our  Baptism.  What  are  these  promises  ?  We  promised  to 
believe  in  Jesus  Christ.  We  must  then  believe  firmly  that  He  is 
truly  the  Son  of  God,  who  came  down  from  heaven,  assumed  our 
human  nature,  and  died  on  the  cross  to  redee'm  the  world.  We 
must  believe  that  He  taught  mankind  a  holy  doctrine,  the  only  one 
which  can  lead  to  salvation.  We  must  believe  that  He  left  after 
Him  disciples  whom  He  charged  to  propagate  His  Gospel  over  the 
entire  earth,  and  that  he  clothed  them  with  full  authority  to  teach 
all  nations  the  truths  which  He  revealed  to  the  world.  We  must 
believe  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, — the  Church  founded  by  the 
Apostles, — the  infallible  depository  of  the  sacred  teachings  which 
issued  from  the  mouth  of  our  divine  Saviour.  You  have  promised 
to  remain  ever  united  to  this  holy  Church,  and  to  obey  her  pastors, 
the  successors  of  the  Apostles,  in  heart  and  soul ;  it  is  on  this 
condition  that  Baptism  made  you  members  of  that  mystic  body 
of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head,  and  out  of  which  no  one  can 
live  in  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  for,  as  St.  Cyprian  tells  us,  he  who  has 


352  S  H  CRT     S  E  K  M  O  N  S  . 

not  the  Church  for  a  Mother,  can  not  have  God  for  his  Father. 
Believe  then  every  thing  which  the  Church  teaches,  for  it  is  the 
doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  which  she  communicates  ;  perform  well 
what  she  prescribes, — her  will  is  the  will  of  the  Son  of  God 
himself. 

It  must  be  acknowledged,  and  we,  alas  !  experience  it  every  day, 
that  the  holy  waters  of  Baptism  have  not  destroyed  our  enemies. 
Satan  remains, — and  he  is  always  a  dangerous  tempter ;  the  world 
remains, — and  it  is  ever  full  of  evils,  and  of  seductions  fatal  to 
many  souls ;  ignorance  and  concupiscence  remain,  and  causes,  alas  ! 
but  too  many  to  fall  into  sin  !  The  Lord  God  does  not  wish  to 
deliver  us  from  this  struggle  against  sin,  just  as  He  does  not  desire 
to  preserve  us  from  temporal  infirmities.  Why  so  ?  That  we  rriay 
be  reminded  whence  we  have  fallen,  that  we  should  consider  this 
earth  as  a  place  of  exile,  and  that,  living  in  the  practice  of  virtue 
and  good  works,  supported  by  our  immortal  hopes,  we  should 
never  cease  to  sigh  after  heaven,  promised  to  those  who  shall  have 
"  valiantly  fought  the  good  fight  of  the  Lord."  You  must  then 
struggle  unceasingly, — and  you  must  triumph.  You  have  promised 
not  to  let  yourselves  be  vanquished,  you  have  promised  never  more 
to  let  yourselves  be  enslaved  by  the  enemy  of  God  :  at  the  holy 
font  of  Baptism  you  have  renounced  Satan ;  no  longer  will  you 
have,  as  master,  the  father  of  lies  ;  you  renounced  "his  pomps,"  that 
is  to  say,  pride,  avarice,  cupidity,  ambition,  those  assemblies,  those 
shows,  circuses,  balls,  dances  and  theaters,  where  the  devil  lays  so 
many  fatal  snares  for  innocence  and  virtue.  You  have  renounced 
"his  works,"  that  is  to  say,  sin,  because  the  devil  is  the  first  author 
of  sin, — it  is  he  who  continually  solicits  men  to  commit  crime. 
You  have  therefore  renounced  all  sin  and  all  the  suggestions  of 
iniquity.  Be  men  of  good  will,  and  the  God  of  mercy  who  has 
adopted  you  as  His  children,  will  not  forsake  you  in  the  hour  of 
temptation ;  pray,  and  the  assistance  of  heaven  will  be  given  you, — 
God  will  combat  with  you,  you  will  keep  your  baptismal  vows, 
and  you  will  come  off  victorious. 

My  Brethren,  to  procure  you  the  grace  of  Baptism,  to  make 
you  His  brethren  and  members,  children  of  His  heavenly  Father, 
and  heaven  your  inheritance,  the  Son  of  God  became  incarnate, — 
was  made  flesh, — was  born  in  minery, — suffered  derision,  contempts 


OF    CONFIRMATION.  353 

and  buffets,  was  crowned  with  thorns,  and  died  upon  a  cross  !  Oh ! 
I  conjure  you  by  the  recollection  of  the  mercies  of  the  Lord,  to  be 
grateful ;  love  your  divine  Saviour,  and  every  day  of  your  lives, 
call  to  mind  the  extent  and  the  excellence  of  the  great  grace  which 
you  have  received  at  the  holy  font  of  Baptism.  Kemember,  and 
often  renew  the  promise  which  you  there  made.  Be  faithful  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  done  every  thing  to  promote  your 
salvation  ;  love  Him  with  your  whole  hearts,  for  He  loved  you,  even 
to  excess, — even  to  death,  and  He  has  in  reserve  for  you  a  crown 
of  immortality,  if  you  persevere  in  His  love,  in  His  faith  and  His 
hope. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LXXII. 

SACRAMENT  OF  CONFIRMATION. 


"  Then  they  laid  their  hands  upon  them  ;  and  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost." — 
ACTS,  viii:  17. 

BY  Baptism  we  died  to  sin  and  rose  to  the  life  of  grace, — we 
received  a  new  birth,  and  became  new  creatures  ;  it  made  us  child- 
ren of  God  and  of  the  Church.  But  how  weak  and  frail  is  the 
life  of  an  infant !  How  little  is  required  to  take  it  out  of  life  again  ! 
We  must  then  grow  in  strength, — we  must  be  fortified  in  this 
spiritual  life, — we  must  become  perfect  men.  To  strengthen  and 
confirm  the  new  life  which  Baptism  has  imparted,  is  the  effect  of 
the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation.  In  it  the  Christian,  become  by 
baptism  the  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  acquires  that  resolute  courage 
which  makes  him  a  true  soldier  of  this  Man-God.  In  it  faith, 
hope,  charity  and  the  other  infused  virtues,  which  were,  so  to  speak, 
only  in  their  infancy,  receive  a  salutary  increase,  and  attain  to  that 
glorious  maturity  which  form  the  perfect  Christian.  It  is  of  this 
sacrament  I  intend  to  speak  to-day.  Be  kind  enough  to  hear  me 
attentively. 

Confirmation  is  a  sacrament  which  confers  upon  us  the  Holy 
30 


354:  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Ghost  with  His  gifts  and  graces,  to  make  us  perfect  Christians,  and 
gives  us  strength  to  confess  openly  the  Catholic  faith.  Confirmation 
is  the  perfection,  the  plenitude  and  consummation  of  the  grace  of 
Baptism ;  that  is  to  say,  it  confirms,  augments,  and  perfects  the 
grace  which  it  finds  already  existing  in  him  on  whom  it  is  conferred, 
whether  he  has  preserved  his  innocence,  or  recovered  it  by  repent- 
ance. 

Is  Confirmation  necessary  for  salvation?  I  answer,  that  this 
sacrament  is  not  so  absolutely  necessary  that  a  person  may  not  be 
saved  without  receiving  it.  It  is  not  so  necessary  for  all  men  as 
Baptism,  nor  so  necessary  as  Penance  for  those  who  have  sinned ;  but 
can  we,  without  rendering  ourselves  culpable,  through  negligence 
omit  receiving  a  sacrament  by  which  God  pours  out  upon  us  His 
most  precious  gifts  and  abundant  graces,  and  by  which  we  are  made 
perfect  Christians  ?  On  the  contrary,  what  eagerness  to  receive 
this  sacrament  should  not  Christians  display,  and  how  careful  you 
ought  to  be,  Christian  parents,  to  make  your  children  receive  it. 
There  is  question  of  making  them  grow  in  grace  and  of  rendering 
them  perfect  in  the  sight  of  God :  if  you  fail  in  this  duty,  you  are 
guilty  before  God.  Follow  'then  the  advice  of  St.  Paul,  and 
strengthen  your  children  in  the  Lord  ;  clothe  them  with  the  armor 
of  God  himself,  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  resist  the  devil  and 
avoid  the  snares  which  the  tempter  continually  sets  before  them. 

The  ordinary  ministers  of  Confirmation  are  bishops.  This  func- 
tion is  reserved  to  them,  because  it  was  reserved  to  the  Apostles,  of 
whom  they  are  the  lawful  successors. 

Let  us  see  how  the  bishop  proceeds  in  the  administration  of  this 
sacrament.  In  the  first  place,  he  extends  his  hands  over  those  who 
are  to  be  confirmed ;  then  he  elevates  his  heart  to  God  and  invokes 
Him  to  send  down  the  Holy  Ghost,  with  His  seven  gifts.  He  asks 
for  those  Christians,  who  wish  to  become  perfect,  the  gift  of  wisdom, 
which  makes  us  love  the  goods  of  eternity,  detaches  our  heart  from 
the  riches  of  this  world  and  removes  us  from  every  thing  opposed  to 
our  last  end ;  the  gift  of  understanding,  which  makes  us  comprehend 
the  truths  of  religion,  so  far  as  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  know,  con- 
sidering the  particular  designs  which  God  has  upon  each  one  of  us ; 
the  gift  of  counsel,  which  makes  us  choose  whatever  will  contribute 
most  to  the  glory  of  God  and  our  sal  vation  ;  the  gift  of  fortitude,  which 


OF    CONFIRMATION.  355 

gives  us  courage  to  profess  our  religion  openly,  to  trample  under 
foot  all  human  respect,  to  overcome  temptations,  to  resist  even  at 
the  peril  of  our  lives,  the  fury  of  persecution ;  the  gift  of  knowl- 
edge, which  makes  known  to  us  the  will  of  God  in  whatever  con- 
cerns our  salvation,  and  discovers  to  us  the  dangers  which  we  must 
avoid ;  the  gift  of  piety,  which  unites  us  to  God  in  a  particular 
manner,  and  makes  us  embrace  with  joy  whatever  relates  to  His 
divine  service ;  in  fine,  the  gift  of  fear,  which  inspires  us  with  a 
sovereign  respect  for  God,  and  makes  us  shun  whatever  is  contrary 
to  his  holy  will.  Then  the  bishop  dips  His  thumb  in  the  holy 
chrism,  and  anoints  the  forehead  of  the  person  who  is  being  con- 
firmed, in  the  form  of  a  cross,  saying  at  the  same  time  these  words : 
"I  sign  thee  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  I  confirm  thee 
with  the  chrism  of  salvation,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Finally,  he  gives  him  a  slap  on 
the  cheek,  saying  to  him  ;  "  Peace  be  to  thee."  By  this  the  Chris- 
tian is  taught  that  he  must  henceforth  be  prepared  to  suffer  all 
things  for  his  divine  Saviour,  and  that  he  must  preserve  his  peace 
with  God,  with  mankind  and  with  himself,  even  amid  outrages 
and  insults,  which  he  ought  to  bear  with  unmurmuring  patience. 
The  reward  of  his  courage  will  be  peace, — the  peace  of  God,  which 
is  above  all  the  riches  of  this  world, — peace  in  life, — peace  at  the 
hour  of  death, — peace  in  eternity. 

The  holy  chrism,  which  is  the  matter  of  this  sacrament,  is  a 
mysterious  composition  of  the  oil  of  olives  and  balm,  consecrated 
by  the  bishop.  The  oil  of  olives,  signifies  the  grace  and  effusion  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  abundantly  communicated  to  us  in  Con- 
firmation ;  it  also  signifies  the  sweetness  and  power  of  this  divine 
Spirit.  The  balm,  which  emits  a  sweet  odor,  reminds  the  Chris- 
tian, that  he  is  obliged  to  diffuse,  everywhere,  the  sweet  odor  of 
virtue ;  to  be  himself,  the  good  odor  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  edifica- 
tion of  his  neighbor.  The  unction  of  the  holy  chrism  is  made  on 
the  forehead,  which  is  the  most  prominent  part  of  the  human  body, 
to  teach  the  person  confirmed  a  sacred  duty,  that  of  glorifying, 
with  the  Apostle,  only  in  one  thing,  but  a  thing  which  is  a  scandal 
to  the  Jews  and  a  folly  to  the  Gentiles, — the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ, — 
the  instrument  of  our  redemption. 

But,  my  Brethren,  let  us  proceed  to  consider  the  effects  which 


356  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Confirmation  produces  in  the  soul.  What  are  they?  In  the  first 
place,  like  all  the  other  sacraments,  Confirmation  produces  sancti- 
fying grace.  It  is  a  grace  of  increase  and  perfection,  a  grace  which 
augments  in  us  the  grace  of  Baptism,  a  grace  which  strengthens 
us  and  renders  us  perfect  Christians.  Confirmation  produces  an- 
other effect  also,  which  it  has  in  common  with  Baptism  and  Holy 
Orders,  namely,  it  imprints  upon  our  souls  an  indelible  character, 
which  is  the  sign, — the  mark  of  the  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ. 

But  what  belongs  peculiarly  to  Confirmation  is,  that  it  imparts 
to  us  the  plenitude  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  divine  Spirit  comes 
to  renew  in  our  souls  the  wonderful  effects  which  He  wrought  when, 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  He  descended  upon  the  Apostles.  He 
descended  upon  them  in  a  visible  manner,  but  He  comes  into  our 
souls  in  an  invisible  manner ;  He  comes  to  us  with  the  plenitude 
of  His  graces  and  gifts,  as  when  He  descended  into  the  cenacle. 
Consider  the  miraculous  change  which  the  divine  Spirit  effected  in 
the  Apostles.  As  much  as  they  were  weak  and  timid,  before  the 
coming  of  the  Paraclete,  so,  after  His  descent  did  they  become  firm, 
undaunted,  intrepid  and  immovable  in  their  resolutions.  Then  they 
openly  proclaimed  themselves  to  be  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  the  Au- 
thor of  life,  whom  the  Jews  had  put  to  death ;  they  went,  everywhere 
announcing  to  that  hard-hearted  people  that  Jesus  had  risen  from 
the  tomb, — that  they  had  seen  Him, — had  spoken  to  Him, — had 
eaten  and  drank  with  Him  ;  they  understood  the  most  sublime 
truths  of  His  Gospel,  and  to  communicate  a  knowledge  of  them  to 
the  Jews  and  Gentiles,  they  feared  neither  scourges,  nor  prisons, 
nor  insults,  nor  reproaches ;  too  happy  in  suffering  for  their  divine 
Lord,  they  bore  the  most  excruciating  tortures,  and  joyfully  under- 
went martyrdom  to  seal  with  their  blood  the  testimony  which  they 
rendered  to  the  truth  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ.  To  them, 
the  goods,  riches,  pleasures  and  honors  of  this  world,  were  but  dust 
and  empty  smoke.  They  desired  in  this  life  the  cross  of  Jesus, 
and,  in  the  life  to  come,  the  happiness  which  He  had  promised  them. 

It  is  the  same  divine  Spirit  whom  you  receive  in  Confirmation: 
He  comes  also  to  give  you  light  to  know  the  truth,  fortitude  and  cour- 
age to  practice  it, — power  from  on  high  to  enable  you  to  combat 
against  all  those  who,  openly  or  secretly,  lay  snares  to  entrap  you, 
and  wrest  from  you  the  precious  treasure  of  faith ;  He  comes  to 


ON    THE    EUCHARIST.  357 

help  you  to  overcome  the  contempt  and  derision  of  the  impious 
and  the  libertine, — to  raise  you  above  human  respect, — to  assist 
you  in  resisting  all  the  suggestions  of  the  devil,  and  repressing 
the  rebellion  of  the  flesh  and  the  emotions  of  concupiscence. 

But,  you  tell  me,  you  have  received  the  Sacrament  of  Confirma- 
tion, and  have  not  experienced  in  your  hearts  these  wonderful  effects 
which  I  describe.  Whose  is  the  fault?  It  is  yours,  if  you  have 
received  this  sacrament  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin,  if  you  have  resisted 
the  graces  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  if  you  have  forced  Him,  by  sin,  to 
forsake  your  souls.  If  such  be  the  case,  do  penance,  and  the  grace 
of  Confirmation  will  revive  in  you, — will  sanctify  you,  —  will 
strengthen  and  render  you  perfect. 

How  powerful  is  the  grace,  says  St.  Augustine,  which  we  need 
to  triumph  over  the  world, — its  errors  and  allurements  !  It  is  this 
powerful  grace  which  we  receive  by  the  imposition  of  hands  and 
the  holy  unction  in  the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation.  You  have 
received  the  plenitude  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  my  Brethren, — you  have 
been  confirmed :  be  therefore  ever  grateful  to  God ;  correspond  with 
His  graces  and  favors,  that  you  may  be  courageous  and  fight  like 
true  soldiers  against  all  the  enemies  of  your  eternal  salvation. 
Never  be  ashamed  of  the  Gospel ;  practice  your  religion  ;  conform 
your  lives  to  the  holy  life  of  Jesus, — your  divine  model ;  walk  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  Apostles  and  the  primitive  Christians, — in  the 
path  of  virtue,  and  you  will  obtain  the  crown  of  immortality, 
promised  to  those  who  shall  have  fought  the  good  fight  of  the  Lord 
to  the  end. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LXXIII. 

ON   THE  EUCHARIST. 


"Take  ye  and  eat:   This  is  my  body." — ST.  MATTHEW,  xxvi :  26. 

WE  envy  the  privilege  and  happiness  of  those  people  who  heard 
the  words  of  grace  coming  from  the  lips  of  our  blessed  Lord  :  we 
envy  the  happiness  of  the  sick  woman  who  touched  the  hem  of  His 


358  s  H  o  u  T  s  i:  it  M  u  N  s  . 

garment  and  was  cured ;  but,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom  to  us,  in 
the  adorable  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  you  see  Jesus,  you  touch 
Him, — you  carry  Him  about  you,  as  Mary  bore  Him  in  her  sacred 
womb.  Without  ceasing  to  be  God,  Jesus,  in  the  Eucharist,  ceases 
to  appear  as  such.  He  is  truly  a  hidden  God,  and,  as  it  were,  anni- 
hilated under  the  semblance  of  the  most  common  food  :  and  all  this 
to  accommodate  himself  to  our  weakness,  and  inspire  us  with  confi- 
dence in  approaching  Him.  You  perceive,  my  Brethren,  that  the 
august  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  wijl  form  the  subject-matter  of 
our  instruction  to-day.  You  love  this  adorable  Sacrament, — you 
will  then,  I  am  sure,  listen  with  attention  to  what  I  am  about  to  say. 

The  holy  Eucharist  may  be  considered  as  a  sacrament  and  as  a 
sacrifice.  As  a  sacrament,  it  is  the  nourishment  of  our  souls.  As 
a  sacrifice,  it  is  offered  to  God  by  the  hands  of  the  priest.  I  have 
already  spoken  of  this  adorable  Sacrifice,  when  I  explained  to  you 
the  precepts  of  the  Church :  but  what  is  the  Eucharist  considered 
as  a  sacrament  ?  It  is  a  Sacrament  which  contains,  really  and  sub- 
stantially, the  body,  blood,  soul  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  under 
the  species  or  appearances  of  bread  and  wine.  The  other  sacraments 
contain  and  produce  grace,  but  the  holy  Eucharist  contains  and 
communicates  really  and  truly  the  very  author  of  grace  and  principle 
of  all  sanctity, — Jesus  Christ, — the  Son  of  God  made  man. 

This  august  Sacrament  receives  different  names  in  the  Church  of 
God.  It  is  called  the  Eucharist,  which  means  thanksgiving,  because 
Jesus  Christ,  before  instituting  this  great  Sacrament,  gave  thanks 
to  His  Father,  and  because  this  Sacrament  is  the  principal  means 
by  which  we  return  thanks  to  God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  for  the 
benefits  of  redemption  and  all  the  favors  which  we  have  received 
from  heaven.  It  is  called  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament,  because  it  is  the 
greatest  and  most  august  of  the  sacraments ;  the  Holy  Host,  because 
the  Eucharist  contains  Jesus  Christ,  the  Host  or  Victim  immolated 
for  the  salvation  of  the  world ;  the  Holy  Communion,  because  it 
unites  us  to  our  divine  Saviour  and  communicates  to  us  His  graces, 
His  merits  and  His  virtues  ;  the  Viaticum,  that  is  to  say,  the  food 
and  support  of  the  traveler,  because  it  fortifies  the  faithful  amid 
the  toils  of  their  mortal  pilgrimage,  and  gives  them  strength  to 
pass  holily  from  this  miserable  world  to  that  immortal  abode  where 
will  hnvo  all  they  can  dosiro. 


ON    THE    EUCHARIST.  359 

Jesus  Christ  said  to  His  disciples  and  to  the  Jews  :  "I  am  the 
living  bread,  which  came  down  from  heaven.  If  any  man  eat  of 
this  bread,  he  shall  live  forever:  and  the  bread  which  I  will  give, 
is  my  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world.  The  Jews,  therefore,  debated 
among  themselves,  saying  :  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to 
eat  ?  Then  Jesus  said  to  them :  Amen,  amen  I  say  unto  you  : 
Unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  his  blood, 
you  shall  not  have  life  in  you.  He  that  eateth  my  flesh,  and 
drinketh  my  blood,  hath  everlasting  life  :  and  I  will  raise  him  up 
at  the  last  day.  For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed  :  and  my  blood  is 
drink  indeed.  He  that  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood, 
abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him."*  This  magnificent  promise  was 
soon  accomplished.  On  the  very  night  on  which  He  was  about  to 
be  delivered  up  to  His  enemies,  Jesus  Christ  wished  to  give  those 
whom  He  had  loved,  the  greatest,  the  most  august  testimony  of  His 
love,  and  He  instituted  the  adorable  Eucharist.  After  having  eaten 
with  His  Apostles  the  paschal  lamb,  He  takes  bread,  and  having 
given  thanks,  He  blessed  it,  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  them,  saying  : 
"This  is  my  body  which  is  given  for  you.  Do  this  for  a  com- 
memoration of  me.  In  like  manner  the  chalice  also,  after  he  had 
supped,  saying  :  This  is  the  chalice,  the  new  testament  in  my  blood, 
which  shall  be  shed  for  you."f 

Thus,  my  Brethren,  our  divine  Saviour,  making  use  of  His 
sovereign  power,  changed  the  bread  into  His  body,  and  the  wine 
into  His  blood,  and  thus  gave  himself  to  men  as  their  spiritual  food. 
"Take  ye  and  eat,"  said  He  to  His  disciples,  "this  is  my  body; 
take  ye,  and  drink ;  this  is  my  blood."  Our  blessed  Lord  can 
not  like  men,  deceive  ;  He  is  the  God  of  truth ;  if  therefore,  He 
solemnly  declares  to  His  Apostles  that  His  body  is  really  present, 
who  will  dare  henceforth  to  doubt  it?  And  since  He  says  :  "This 
is  my  blood,"  who  will  have  the  effrontery  to  say  :  this  is  not  His 
blood  ?  No,  my  Brethren,  let  us  not  say  with  the  incredulous 
Jews:  "This  is  a  hard  saying,  and  who  can  hear  it?"  But  let 
us  with  St.  Peter,  exclaim:  "Lord,  thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life  ;"  let  us  captivate  our  minds  to  the  sweet  yoke  of  Jesus, 
— let  us  hear  and  believe  the  word  of  the  Son  of  God  made  man. 

*  St.  John,  vi:  51—55.  f  St.  Liike,  xxii:  19,  20. 


300  SHORT    SERMONS. 

By  Him  the  heavens  and  the  earth  were  created, — were  made  out 
of  nothing :  surely,  the  same  Almighty  power  can  easily  cause  one 
substance  to  be  changed  into  another.  Nothing  is  impossible  to 
God ;  He  can  therefore  cause  the  bread  and  the  wine  to  be  changed 
into  His  flesh  and  blood.  Can  we  doubt  it,  my  Brethren,  when  we 
consider  that  every  day  He  changes  the  bread  that  we  eat  into  our 
flesh  and  blood?  The  Son  of  God  says:  "This  is  my  body,  this 
is  my  blood."  Let  us  repress  the  pride  of  our  weak  intellect, — let 
us  believe  and  adore. 

"Our  Saviour  added:  "Do  this  in  commemoration  of  me." 
Words  of  unspeakable  love,  which,  by  giving  to  His  Apostles  and 
their  successors  in  the  priesthood  the  power  of  renewing  what  the 
Man-God  had  just  accomplished,  bequeathed  to  us  forever  the  heri- 
tage of  His  body  and  blood.  Here  then  we  find  the  priest  invested 
with  the  power  of  our  divine  Saviour ;  he  speaks  in  the  name  of 
Jesus, — he  says  over  the  bread  and  the  wine  :  "This  is  my  body, 
this  is  my  blood,"  and  immediately  the  whole  substance  of  the 
bread  is  changed  into  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  God, — the  whole  sub- 
stance of  the  wine  is  changed  into  His  blood,  and  the  same  Jesus 
who  was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  who  died  for  us  on  the  cross, 
who  rose  again  the  third  day  triumphantly  from  the  tomb,  who  sits 
at  the  right  hand  of  God  the  Father,  descends  on  our  altars  and  is 
present  under  the  appearances  of  bread  and  wine.  He  is  whole  and 
entire  in  the  sacred  host  and  in  the  chalice  ;  and  when  the  species 
are  separated,  or  when  they  are  divided,  He  is  present,  whole  and 
entire  under  each  of  the  species,  and  under  the  smallest  part  of  the 
species  of  the  bread,  as  well  as  under  the  smallest  part  of  the  species 
of  the  wine. 

I  say,  my  Brethren,  and  such  is  the  faith  of  the  infallible  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ,  that  our  divine  Saviour  is  whole  and  entire  under 
the  species  of  the  bread, — whole  and  entire  under  the  species  of  the 
wine,  as  He  is  whole  and  entire  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  His 
Father.  It  is  true,  by  the  words  of  consecration,  His  body 
becomes  present  under  the  species  of  bread,  and  His  blood  under 
the  species  of  Avine ;  but  because  Jesus  Christ  liveth,  and  after 
having  risen  from  the  dead,  He  dieth  now  no  more ;  because  the 
blood  of  a  living  man  can  not  be  separated  from  his  body;  and 
because  his  body  and  his  blood  can  not  be  separated  from  his  soul, 


O  JS"    THE    EUCHARIST.  361 

it  follows  that  wherever  the  body  of  the  Saviour  is,  there  also  is 
His  blood  ;  that  wherever  His  blood  is,  there  also  is  His  body ; 
that  wherever  His  body  and  His  blood  are,  there  also  is  His 
soul :  and  finally,  as  the  divine  Word  is  united  personally  to 
this  body  and  this  soul,  so  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  must 
also  be  necessarily  present  both  under  the  species  of  the  bread  and 
under  the  species  of  the  wine.  What  a  wonderful  prodigy,  my 
Brethren!  How  deserving  of  our  gratitude  !  "Where  are  we?" 
exclaims  St.  Chrysostom.  "  Heaven  has  nothing,  absolutely  nothing 
beyond  what  the  earth  has.  The  earth  has  become  a  new  heaven  ! 
Behold  Jesus,  whole  and  entire,  lives  among  us.  The  God  of  glory, 
of  sanctity  and  of  majesty  dwells  with  the  children  of  men,  and  we 
have  the  happiness  of  being  able  to  adore  Him  in  His  tabernacle  !" 
Jesus  is  really,  truly  and  substantially  present  in  the  Sacrament  of 
His  love,  and  He  abides  there  under  the  appearances  of  bread  and 
wine,  to  be  for  those  who  worthily  receive  Him  the  food  which  im- 
parts eternal  life, — the  bread  of  angels, — a  pledge  of  immortality. 

"This  is  my  body,  this  is  my  blood;"  Thou  hast  pronounced 
these  words,  0  Jesus,  my  bountiful  Saviour  !  and  we  believe  them 
with  our  whole  hearts  and  with  our  whole  souls.  We  praise  Thee, 
we  adore  Thee  in  this  august  Sacrament,  in  this  prodigy  of  love, 
which  Thou  hast  given  us  on  the  eve  of  Thy  cruel  death.  Thou 
didst  wish  to  dwell  with  us,  because  Thou  lovest  us,  because  Thou 
wouldst  not  leave  us  orphans,  alone  and  abandoned  to  the  dangers 
of  this  miserable  life.  Thou,  who,  while  on  earth,  didst  go  about 
doing  good,  still  desirest  to  shower  down  upon  us  Thy  graces  and 
benedictions ;  Thou  condescendest  to  be  the  nourishment  of  our 
souls,  because  Thou  wishest  us  to  vanquish  our  enemies,  to  over- 
come temptation  and  advance  wTith  a  firm  step  in  the  ways  of  sal- 
vation. My  God,  we  will  often  come  to  lay  the  homage  of  our 
faith  and  adoration  at  the  foot  of  Thy  holy  tabernacle  ;  we  will 
frequently  come  to  partake  of  Thy  body  and  blood,  that  we  may 
receive  consolation  and  grace,  strength  and  courage  to  do  good,  to 
fulfill  Thy  holy  will  and  attain  heaven  ;  for  Thou  hast  said :  "  He 
who  eats  my  flesh  and  drinks  my  blood  shall  have  eternal  life.'W 
AMEN. 

31 


302  SHORT    SERMONS. 


SERMON  LXXIV. 

EFFECTS  OF  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  THE 
EUCHARIST. 


"  If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  forever." — ST.  JOHN,  vi :  52. 

I  TOLD  you,  in  our  last  instruction,  what  faith  teaches,  concerning 
the  holy  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist.  You  are  convinced,  no 
doubt,  that  this  august  mystery  is  truly  the  abridgment  of  all  the 
wonders  wrought  by  the  Man-God,  and  the  grandest  evidence  which 
He  could  have  given  of  the  love  He  bears  to  us.  Assuredly,  your 
hearts  are  full  of  gratitude  for  the  astonishing  blessings  which  the 
divine  Word  has  bestowed  upon  you.  But  your  gratitude  will  be 
still  more  lively,  and  your  love  more  fervent,  when  you  shall  have 
heard  explained  the  salutary  effects  which  the  adorable  Eucharist 
produces  in  the  souls  of  those  who  approach  it  duly  prepared. 

The  first  effect  which  the  holy  Communion  produces,  is  to  unite 
us  intimately  with  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  bread  which  you  daily  eat,  is  united  to  your  flesh,  it  becomes 
your  flesh  and  makes  part  of  your  being.  Our  Saviour  deigns  to 
give  himself  to  us,  under  the  appearance  of  bread,  because  He 
wishes  that  His  flesh  should  become  our  flesh,  and  that  His  blood 
should  become  our  blood  ;  because,  in  a  word,  He  wishes  to  unite 
himself  to  us, — to  be  incorporated  with  us.  "I  am,"  says  He, 
"the  living  bread,  which  came  down  from  heaven  .  .  .  For  my 
flesh  is  food  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that 
eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  abides  in  me,  and  I  in 
him."  "0  man,"  exclaims  St.  Chrysostom,  "Consider  the  honor 
which  you  receive  when  you  come  to  the  table  of  the  Lord !  You 
there  eat  Him  whom  the  angels  can  contemplate  only  with  fear 
and  trembling ;  yon  are  united  to  Him, — you  become  one  and  the 
same  flesh  with  Him, — one  and  the  same  body,  as  the  bread  which 
you  eat  becomes  your  flesh  and  body."  What  do  I  say  ?  No ;  in 
the  holy  Communion,  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  are  not 


ON    THE    EUCHARIST.  363 

changed  into  our  substance,  but  it  is  we  who  are  transformed  into 
Him, — He  gives  us  as  it  were,  a  new  being, — a  new  life,  and  makes 
us  in  a  manner  partakers  of  His  divine  nature  !  Well  therefore  may 
we  say  with  the  Apostle :  "I  live ;  no,  it  is  not  I  who  live,  but  it  is 
Jesus  Christ,  who  lives  in  me  ;"  He  communicates  to  me  His  Spirit 
and  makes  me  live  with  His  divine  life  !  Oh,  my  Saviour !  what 
return  shall  I  make  for  so  much  bounty, — for  so  much  love  ?  Thou 
art  prodigal  of  thyself,  —  Thou  givest  me  Thy  body  and  blood! 
Thou  givest  me  thyself,  whole  and  entire !  I  wish  also  to  give 
myself  entirely  to  Thee.  I  wish  to  belong  to  Thee  without  division 
and  without  reserve.  Thou  desirest  to  unite  thyself  to  me, — that  I 
should  be  one  and  the  same  substance  with  Thee, — that  Thy  flesh 
should  be  my  flesh, — that  Thy  blood  should  be  my  blood :  be  it  so, 
my  blessed  Lord ;  let  Thy  heart  be  my  heart,  let  Thy  soul  be  my 
soul,  let  Thy  will  be  my  will, — let  me  be  united  to  Thee,  in  heart 
and  soul,  now  and  forever.  But,  Oh  my  God,  shall  I  be  faithful  to 
this  holy  resolution  ?  I  can  be,  for  the  adorable  Sacrament  of  the 
Eucharist  will  support  and  strengthen  me  in  charity, — in  the  life 
of  grace. 

Without  doubt,  the  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  as  is  clear  from 
its  institution,  does  not  of  itself  confer  the  grace  which  blots  out 
mortal  sin,  and  by  which  man  from  being  a  sinner  becomes  justi- 
fied ;  for  this  Sacrament  supposes  sanctifying  grace  in  those  who 
receive  it.  As  material  bread  is  intended  only  to  support  the  life 
of  living  bodies,  and  would  be  of  no  use  to  those  that  are  dead,  so 
the  bread  of  angels  profits  only  those  who  live  already  the  spiritual 
life, — who  enjoy  the  friendship  of  God,  and  in  whom  sanctifying 
grace  dwells.  If  in  this  happy  state,  you  go  to  receive  the  ador- 
able Eucharist,  our  divine  Saviour,  having  come  as  food  into 
your  souls,  does  not  abide  there  without  acting ;  He  gives,  you  a 
new  increase  of  grace, — He  fortifies  you, — strengthens  you  in  His 
love,  and  enables  you  to  lead  a  Christian,  pious  and  holy  life ;  for 
He  has  said :  "as  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and  I  live  by  the 
Father;  so  he  that  eateth  me,  the  same  also  shall  live  by  me/'* 
that  is  to  say,  he  will  lead  a  life  of  meekness,  humility,  patience 
and  charity,  a  life  full  of  virtues,  and  rich  in  good  works. 

*  John,  vi :  58. 


364:  SHORT    SERMONS. 

In  the  glorious  ages  of  the  primitive  Church,  to  be  a  Christian 
and  a  saint,  was  almost  the  same  thing,  and  examples  of  the  most 
exalted  and  heroic  virtues  were  continually  presented  to  the  world. 
Then  might  be  seen  the  young  maiden  joyfully  renouncing  the  most 
advantageous  offers  of  marriage,  to  become  the  spouse  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  obtain  the  virgin's  glorious  crown  ;  the  young  man  strug- 
gling resolutely  against  his  passions, — against  every  thing  that  might 
draw  him  into  sin  ;  tender,  weak  young  girls,  even  children  and  old 
persons,  feeble  in  body  but  strong  in  soul,  encountering  the  rage  of' 
persecutors,  joyfully  mounting  the  funeral  pile  to  be  burned  alive, 
or  permitting  themselves  to  be  devoured  by  furious  beasts,  rather 
than  sacrifice  to  idols,  and  prove  faithless  to  Jesus  Christ.  Whence 
did  they  get  this  superhuman  strength  and  this  heroic  love  of  God  ? 
Oh !  they  were  persevering  in  prayer,  and  the  eating  of  the  bread, — 
of  that  living  bread  which  has  come  down  from  heaven,  of  which 
whoever  eats,  he  perseveres  in  grace,  is  preserved  from  sin  and 
dieth  not. 

In  truth,  my  Brethren,  the  holy  Eucharist  is  "  a  powerful  anti- 
dote to  deliver  us  from  our  daily  faults  and  preserve  us  from  mortal 
sin,"  as  the  Council  of  Trent  tells  us.  Though  this  divine  nourish- 
ment does  not  entirely  place  us  beyond  the  reach  of  temptations,  it 
gives  us  strength  to  conquer  them  and  makes  them  a  source  of  merit 
for  our  souls.  The  ship  which  carried  the  Apostles  also  bore  our 
divine  Saviour,  and  yet  it  was  tossed  about  by  the  tempest ;  but  the 
divine  Master  commands, — the  storm  ceases,  and  immediately  tran- 
quillity is  restored.  In  like  manner,  the  holy  Eucharist  is  in  our 
souls,  and  yet  our  hearts  are  sometimes  agitated  and  tormented  by 
the  tempestuous  waves  of  our  passions ;  but  let  us  have  confidence, 
for,  when  Jesus  is  within  us,  says  St.  Cyril,  He  will  not  permit  us 
to  be  shipwrecked ;  He  calms  our  passions,  animates  and  supports 
our  will,  excites  our  courage,  and  powerfully  helps  us  to  advance 
toward  the  harbor  of  salvation, — toward  the  promised  land.  Com- 
municate often  and  worthily,  says  the  same  St.  Cyril,  and  this 
divine  bread  will  make  you  persevere  in  the  grace  and  friendship  of 
God  during  your  whole  life,  and  on  the  great  day  of  judgment,  you 
will  rise  from  death  to  live  forever.  Indeed,  as  St.  Augustine 
teaches  us,  those  who  take  this  heavenly  food  become  incorruptible 
and  immortal,  for  our  divine  Saviour  has  said:  "he  that  eateth  my 


ON    THE    EUCII  AKIST.  365 

flesli,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  .  .  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day. 
If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  forever  :"  he  shall  partici- 
pate in  the  happiness  of  the  saints,  or  rather  he  is  already  happy ; 
for  our  blessed  Lord  adds  :  "he  that  eateth  my  flesh,  .  .  hath  everlast- 
ing life/*  The  holy  Eucharist  is  truly  the  treasure  of  the  bounties 
of  the  Lord. 

Jesus  Christ  speaks,  and  every  disease  is  cured, — sickness  dis- 
appears to  give  way  to  robust  health ;  He  touches  the  coffin,  and 
the  dead  are  restored  to  life  !  How  then  does  it  happen,  that  after 
having  so  often  received  into  your  hearts  the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Saviour,  you  are  still  subject  to  the  same  infirmities, — to  the  same 
maladies  ;  that  you  have  not  subdued  one  single  passion,  nor  cor- 
rected one  single  defect?  Whence  comes  this  misfortune?  There 
is  no  doubt,  my  Brethren,  that  it  arises  from  your  not  receiving 
the  holy  Eucharist  with  proper  dispositions.  Though  you  pre- 
sented yourself  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  had  you  not  mortal  sin 
reigning  in  your  soul  ?  Did  you  not  preserve  some  secret  affection 
for  the  objects  of  your  criminal  passions  ?  What  brought  you  to 
the  holy  banquet,  was  it  faith,  piety,  the  love  of  God,  the  desire  of 
uniting  yourself  intimately  to  Jesus  Christ  ?  or  was  it  not  rather 
mere  custom,  perhaps  even  human  respect  ?  Jesus  Christ  refused 
you  His  gifts  and  His  graces,  because  you  were  not  worthy  of  them  ; 
He  permitted  you  to  remain  afflicted  with  the  same  infirmities  and 
evils,  because  you  did  not  wish  to  be  healed  of  them. 

Let  us  henceforth  go  to  the  table  of  the  Lord  with  hearts  well 
prepared, — with  hearts  widely  open  to  receive  His  gifts,  His  favors 
and  graces,  and  then  we  will  not  be  refused.  Be  assured,  my 
Brethren,  that  He  will  not  be  content  to  remain  but  a  few  moments 
with  you, — but  He  will  abide  in  you,  if  you  sincerely  wish  to  abide 
in  Him, — He  will  unite  himself  to  you, — He  will  clothe  you  with 
His  power, — will  combat  with  you, — will  aid  you  to  subdue  your 
enemies,  to  overcome  the  obstacles  that  stand  in  the  way  of  your 
eternal  salvation, — He  will  be  your  Viaticum, — your  support, — 
your  consolation  during  life,  and,  at  the  hour  of  your  death,  He 
will  introduce  you  into  the  mansions  of  His  Father, — into  eternal 
glory. — AMEN. 


366  SHORT   SERMONS. 


SERMON  LXXV. 

DISPOSITIONS  FOE  COMMUNION. 


"  The  work  is  great,  for  a  house  is  prepared,  not  for  man,  but  for  God." — 
1  PAEALIPOMENON,  xxix :  1 . 

HOLY  Communion  unites  us  intimately  to  Jesus  Christ,  purifies 
us  from  slight  faults,  preserves  us  from  mortal  sin,  nourishes,  forti- 
fies and  confirms  our  souls  in  the  love  of  virtue,  and  serves  us  as  a 
most  consoling  pledge  of  a  glorious  resurrection  and  immortal  life. 
Such,  my  Brethren,  the  wonderful  graces  which  Jesus  brings  to  a 
heart  well  disposed  to  receive  Him.  Prove  yourselves  therefore, 
according  to  the  counsel  of  the  Apostle,  before  you  eat  of  the 
bread  of  angels,  and  remember  that  the  work  is  great,  since  there  is 
question  here  of  preparing  in  your  souls  an  abode  for  the  Lord  him- 
self. You  perceive  that  I  come  to  speak  to  you  on  the  dispositions 
which  you  ought  to  bring  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  to  communicate 
worthily. 

The  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  being  the  most  excellent  and 
august  of  all  the  sacraments,  since  in  it  we  receive  not  only  grace, 
but  the  Author  of  grace,  necessarily  demands  the  holiest  dis- 
positions, and  exacts  them  more  rigorously  than  the  other  sacra- 
ments. Of  these  dispositions,  some  relate  to  the  body,  and  others 
regard  the  soul.  The  dispositions  which  relate  to  the  body,  are,  to 
be  fasting  from  the  previous  midnight,  and  to  keep  our  whole 
exterior  modest,  recollected  and  respectful.  A  constant  tradition, 
which  can  be  traced  back  to  the  apostolic  times,  has  established  a 
strict  law,  not  to  receive  the  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  except 
fasting.  Such  has  ever  been  the  general  usage  of  the  Church, — 
such  it  is  at  present,  and  to  violate  this  law  would  be  to  commit  a 
grievous  fault.  The  Church  admits  exceptions  only  in  favor  of  the 
sick  who  receive  holy  Communion  as  a  Viaticum  ;  she  allows  them 
to  receive  the  Communion  without  fasting,  that  they  may  satisfy 


DISPOSITIONS    F  O  11    COMMUNION.  367 

the  divine  precept,  which  obliges  them  to  receive  the  body  and  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  when  they  are  in  danger  of  death.  The  sacramental 
fast  is  more  severe  and  rigorous  than  that  which  is  prescribed  on 
days  of  penance ;  it  consists  in  having  absolutely  taken  nothing, 
either  solid  or  liquid,  either  as  nourishment  or  as  medicine,  from 
midnight  of  the  day  on  which  we  communicate ;  it  admits  no 
smallness  of  matter  with  regard  to  this.  Anything  which  is  eaten  or 
drunk,  whether  voluntarily  or  through  inadvertence,  is  an  infraction 
of  this  law,  and  prevents  Communion  on  that  day.  Nevertheless,  it 
is  not  considered  a  violation  of  the  law,  (if  something  is  acci- 
dentally and  undesignedly  swallowed  by  respiration.)  It  is  not  for- 
bidden then  to  go  to  Communion,  though,  while  washing  your 
mouth,  you  happen  to  swallow  a  few  drops  of  water  which  become 
mixed  with  the  saliva.  When  you  approach  the  holy  table,  be  fast- 
ing, and  present  yourselves  with  a  modest  and  recollected  exterior. 

Under  the  appearance  of  bread,  which  is  there  no  more,  in  this 
host  which  is  about  to  be  placed  upon  your  tongue,  the  unerring 
voice  of  faith  reveals  to  us  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Omnipotent 
God,  the  Supreme  Master  of  the  universe,  who  calls  us,  who  is  now 
about  to  visit  us,  and  whom  we  receive  into  our  hearts.  Yes,  we 
know  and  we  are  convinced  that  our  divine  Saviour  is  truly  and 
really  present  in  the  adorable  Eucharist ;  is  not  this  enough  to 
inspire  us  with  a  holy  awe,  a  profound  humility  and  a  perfect 
modesty  when  we  go  to  the  holy  table  of  the  Lord  ?  To  present 
ourselves  there  in  a  disrespectful  manner,  with  a  distracted  and 
worldly  air,  might  well  give  grounds  to  suppose  that  we  have 
neither  faith,  piety  nor  religion  ? 

In  what  dispositions  must  our  soul  be  to  receive  the  fruits  of 
holy  Communion?  To  receive  worthily,  we  must  be  in  a  state  of 
grace,  that  is  to  say,  we  must  be  free  from  mortal  sin.  The  holy 
Eucharist  being  a  sacrament  of  the  living,  supposes  spiritual  life,  and 
at  least  the  beginning  of  sanctity  in  those  who  receive  it.  To  make 
a  good  and  worthy  Communion,  we  must  therefore  be  just  and  pure 
in  the  eyes  of  God.  Hence,  we  read  that  in  the  early  ages  of  the 
Church,  every  time  that  the  holy  Eucharist  was  distributed  to  the 
faithful,  a  deacon  said  with  a  loud  voice :  "  Holy  things  are  for  the 
holy."  As  if  he  said:  "  Let  those  only  come  to  the  table  of  the 
Lord,  who  have  proved  themselves,  and  in  whom  mortal  sin  no 


S  H  O  R  T    S  K  K  M  O  N  S  . 

longer  dwells ;  and  let  those  whose  souls  are  stained  with  sin  with- 
draw ;  let  them  go  and  first  purify  themselves  in  the  holy  waters  of 
penance.  My  Brethren,  man  is  very  much  inclined  to  evil ;  and 
who  among  us  would  presume  to  flatter  himself  that  he  is  exempt 
from  sin  ?  Examine  then  your  conscience  well,  before  you  approach 
the  holy  table,  and,  if  you  feel  that  you  are  guilty  of  mortal  sin,  re- 
member that  you  must  have  recourse  to  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  to 
cleanse  yourself;  that  you  must  not  go  to  Communion  before  you 
have  received  absolution,  no  matter  what  may  be  your  contrition ; 
that  if  you  receive  Communion  in  the  sad  state  of  sin,  you  commit 
a  horrible  sacrilege. 

To  receive  the  fruits  of  the  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  we  must 
not  only  be  exempt  from  all  mortal  sin,  but  even  free  from  every 
attachment  to  venial  sin.  Strong  and  substantial  food  is  of  no 
service  to  a  sick  body;  in  like  manner,  the  strong  and  holy  food  of 
the  angels,  the  adorable  Eucharist,  is  of  little  service  to  those  cold 
and  indolent  Christians,  who  crawl  lazily  along  in  the  way  of  the 
commandments,  who  have  no  dread  of  venial  sin,  who  continually 
relapse  into  their  faults  and  make  no  effort  to  correct  their  imper- 
fections. They  feed  upon  the  bread  of  angels,  and  they  remain 
weak:  why  so?  because  they  prevent  this  divine  Bread  from  pro- 
ducing its  effects  ;  they  place  an  obstacle  to  it  by  the  attachment 
which  their  hearts  preserve  for  venial  sin. 

Do  you  wish  therefore  to  communicate  worthily  and  to  receive 
much  fruit  from  your  Communions  ?  Remove  all  the  obstacles, 
renounce  all  venial  sin  ;  take  the  generous  resolution  to  resist,  with 
the  grace  of  God,  all  your  evil  inclinations ;  approach  often  to  the 
tribunal  of  penance  to  have  your  souls  purified  from  the  smallest 
defilement,  or,  at  least,  efface  every  stain  by  a  sincere  sorrow.  Our 
divine  Saviour  told  His  Apostles,  that  they  were  pure,  and  yet, 
before  giving  them  His  body  and  blood,  He  desired  to  wash  their 
feet.  "His  design  was  to  show  us  by  this  act,"  says  St.  Bernard, 
"  with  what  purity  and  what  sanctity  we  ought  to  receive  this  august 
Sacrament ;  His  intention  was  to  teach  us,  that  it  is  not  sufficient 
to  be  purified  from  all  mortal  sins,  but  that  we  must  renounce 
venial  faults,  which  are  like  dust  that  sticks  to  the  feet." 

Although  full  of  life  and  health,  the  body  of  man  receives  but 
little  advantage  from  the  food  which  he  takes,  unless  ho  is  hungry 


DISPOSITIONS    FOR    COMMUNION.  369 

and  has  an  appetite  ;  in  like  manner,  to  make  a  holy  Communion, 
and  to  experience  the  happy  effects  of  the  adorable  Bread  of  the 
angels,  it  is  not  enough  that  our  souls  should  be  living  and  in 
health,  that  is,  in  the  state  of  sanctifying  grace,  but  they  must  be 
pressed  by  the  pangs  of  hunger  to  approach  the  table  of  the  Lord  ; 
they  must  have  a  great  desire  to  be  united  to  Jesus  Christ,  to  follow 
Him,  and  to  advance  continually  in  the  way  of  perfection  which  He 
has  marked  out  for  men.  Behold,  says  St.  Augustine,  with  what 
ardor,  with  what  avidity  the  infant  seeks  its  mother's  milk !  with 
what  force  it  draws  it  from  her  breast !  but  also  see  what  vigor 
and  beautiful  development  it  derives  from  this  fountain  of  its  life  ! 
So  shall  it  be  with  you,  my  Brethren  ;  you  will  also  receive  numerous 
graces  and  signal  favors,  if  you  hunger  and  thirst  for  the  divine 
nourishment  which  is  offered  you  at  the  holy  table  of  the  Lord  ;  if, 
like  the  panting  stag,  you  sigh  after  the  fountains  of  the  Saviour. 
St.  Mary  Magdelene  de  Pazzi  said,  that  one  Communion  well  made 
was  enough  to  sanctify  a  soul.  Dispose  yourselves  then,  properly, 
attend  seriously  to  the  preparation  of  your  hearts,  every  time  you 
intend  to  partake  of  this  sacred  banquet,  and  remember  those 
beautiful  words  of  St.  Francis  of  Sales,  with  which  I  will  conclude 
this  instruction.  "  On  the  day  previous  to  your  approaching  the 
holy  Communion,  begin  to  prepare  yourselves  for  this  holy  act  by 
frequent  aspirations  and  by  sentiments  of  love.  Retire  to  bed 
sooner  than  usual,  and, 'if  possible,  rise  earlier  in  the  morning.  If 
you  wake  during  the  night,  let  your  hearts  be  filled  with  some  pious 
thoughts,  and  let  your  tongue  repeat  some  sweet  prayer,  the  fra- 
grance of  which  will  perfume  your  soul  and  prepare  it  to  receive  its 
Spouse,  who  watches  while  you  sleep,  and  who  is  disposed  to  grant 
you  His  graces  and  favors,  if,  on  your  part,  you  are  well  prepared." 
"The  divine  Majesty,"  says  St.  Teresa,  "is  accustomed  richly  to 
reward  those  who  give  Him  a  hearty  welcome."  Happy,  my 
Brethren,  will  we  be,  if  we  prepare  ourselves  for  holy  Communion 
in  this  manner  !  The  adorable  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  will  com- 
municate to  us  the  life  of  our  good  Saviour, — the  life  of  virtue  on 
earth,  and  the  life  of  glory  for  everlasting  ages. — AMEN. 


870  SHORT   SERMONS. 

SERMON  LXXVI. 

ON  A  BAD   COMMUNION. 


"  You  can  not  be  partakers  of  the  table  of  the  Lord,  and  of  the  table  of  the 
devils." — 1  CORINTHIANS,  x  :  21. 

IN  our  last  instruction,  I  told  you  the  holy  dispositions  with 
which  you  ought  to  approach  the  table  of  the  Lord,  and  what  salu- 
tary and  -divine  effects  the  adorable  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist 
produces  in  the  soul  that  receives  it  worthily.  To-day  I  will  speak 
to  you  on  a  matter  which  I  approach  only  with  reluctance,  namely : 
the  sin  of  an  unworthy,  sacrilegious  Communion.  May  the  Almighty 
place  upon  my  lips  words  sufficiently  powerful  to  inspire  you  with 
a  great  horror  for  the  crime  which  he  commits  who  receives  un- 
worthily. 

What  is  it  to  receive  unworthily  ?  It  is  to  go  to  Communion  in 
the  state  of  mortal  sin.  Those  who  examine  not  their  conscience, 
though  they  have  the  moral  certainty  of  having  committed  grievous 
sin  ;  those  who  disguise  or  conceal  their  sins  in  confession ;  those 
who  have  neither  a  true  sorrow  for  having  offended  God,  nor  a  firm 
purpose  of  amendment ;  those  who  refuse  to  be  reconciled  with 
their  neighbor,  or  to  restore  ill-gotten  goods,  to  repair  the  wrong 
which  they  have  done,  to  remove  from  the  proximate  occasions  of 
sin  ;  all  those,  I  say,  must  necessarily  make  bad  confessions,  and  if 
they  go  to  the  holy  table,  they  receive  the  Communion  unworthily ; 
for  they  are  most  certainly  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin.  Do  they  par- 
take of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ?  Yes,  my  Brethren,  the  divine 
Saviour  communicates  himself  to  the  good  and  to  the  wicked ;  but 
far  different  is  the  result  for  each  !  While  the  just  finds  in  this 
heavenly  nourishment  numerous  graces, — a  union  of  love  with  God, 
— a  pledge  of  eternal  life ;  the  sacrilegious  sinner  finds  death  and  a 
sentence  of  reprobation  ;  he  eats  and  drinks  his  own  judgment, 
according  to  the  awful  expression  of  St.  Paul.  "  Wherefore,"  says 


ON    A    BAD    COMMUNION.  371 

the  Apostle,  "  whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread,  or  drink  the  chalice 
of  the  Lord  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Lord.  .  .  .  For  he  that  eateth  and  drinketh  unworthily,  eateth  and 
drinketh  judgment  to  himself,  not  discerning  the  body  of  the  Lord.'''* 

Comprehend  then,  if  you  can,  the  enormity  of  the  sin  committed 
by  him  who  dares  to  make  an  unworthy  Communion.  God  is  holi- 
ness ;  the  Sacred  Scriptures  call  Him  the  Holy  of  Holies ;  He  is  so 
holy  that  He  discovers  stains  even  in  the  angels  who  serve  and 
adore  Him  ;  every  mortal  sin  is  therefore  an  abomination  to  Him, 
and  even  the  slightest  venial  sin  is  unutterably  odious  in  His  sight. 
Yet,  it  is  this  holy  God  that  the  sinner  has  the  boldness  to  receive 
on  his  impure  tongue, — into  his  guilty  heart, — into  the  heart  of  a 
slave  of  Satan, — of  a  child  of  the  devil, — into  a  heart  where  the 
devil  reigns,  and  where  he  insults  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  Oh  ! 
sacrilegious  wretch,  what  a  crime  you  commit !  You  unite  the  holy 
and  chaste  body  of  the  Son  of  God  with  a  wanton,  impure  body, 
perhaps  with  the  body  of  a  drunkard,  of  an  odious  blasphemer. 
You  unite  the  virginal,  immaculate  flesh  of  Jesus  with  flesh  cor- 
rupted by  sin  ;  you  unite  Christ  with  Belial, — the  God  of  heaven 
with  the  devils  of  hell !  You  trample  under  foot  the  precious  blood 
of  your  Redeemer,  who  has  ransomed  you  and  so  often  sanctified 
you,  and  you  approach  the  holy  table  to  murder  again  our  loving 
Saviour ;  for,  as  St.  Paul  says  :  "  whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread, 
or  drink  this  chalice  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  the  Lord."  "Yes,"  adds  St.  Chrysostom,  "he  becomes 
as  guilty  as  if  he  had,  in  reality,  put  Jesus  Christ  to  death,  and 
imbrued  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God." 

Behold  the  awful  crime  which  those  unworthy  Christians  commit, 
who  recklessly  approach  this  holy  table, — sit  at  the  banquet  of  the 
Lord,  and  receive  the  adorable  Eucharist  in  the  state  of  sin.  Alas  ! 
if  the  Apostle  wept  over  sacrilegious  Communions  in  his  day,  at  a 
time  when  the  great  body  of  Christians  was  composed  of  saints,  if 
he  was  compelled  to  acknowledge  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  was 
already  profaned,  in  those  happy  days  when  the  faithful  often  shed 
their  own  blood  for  the  glory  of  His  name,  have  we  not  reason  to 
fear  that  this  crime  is  much  more  frequent  and  common  in  our  cor- 

*  1  Corinthians,  xi :  27,  29. 


372  SHORT     SERMONS. 

nipt  age, — in  those  evil  days  when  charity  is  so  cold,  and  piety  so 
weak  and  so  rare  ?  When  we  behold  so  many  people  approaching 
the  holy  Communion,  who  scarcely  make  any  preparation;  who 
have  no  repentance  for  their  sins,  who  have  no  will  to  be  converted  ; 
who  will  not  turn  from  their  evil  ways,  who  neither  renounce  sin, 
nor  the  occasion  of  sin;  my  Brethren,  I  appeal  to  your  reason  and 
judgment,  tell  me  whether  we  have  not  good  grounds  for  believing 
that  there  is  nothing  more  common  in  our  days  than  unworthy  and 
sacrilegious  Communions  ?  Nevertheless,  I  must  tell  you,  that  an 
unworthy  Communion  is  not  only  a  great  crime,  but  a  dreadful 
misfortune. 

"He  that  eateth  and  drinketh  unworthily,  eateth  and  drinketh 
judgment  to  himself."  Weigh  well  these  words  of  St.  Paul.  The 
Apostle  wished  to  make  a  comparison  between  this  divine  nourish- 
ment which  we  receive  in  Communion  and  the  food  which  we  use 
to  support  our  body.  As  the  food  is  changed  into  our  own  substance, 
as  it  is  united  to  us  so  that  it  is  no  more  possible  to  separate  it 
from  our  body,  because  it  forms  with  it  but  one  and  the  same  whole; 
so  he  who  profanes  the  body  of  Christ,  eats  his  own  judgment,  and 
transforms  it,  in  a  manner,  into  himself.  His  condemnation  is  not 
merely  written  in  a  book,  or  upon  tables  of  stone  or  marble,  but  in 
his  own  heart ;  it  flows  through  his  veins, — he  bears  it  continually 
with  him.  Unfortunate  wretch  !  He  believed  that  he  had  received 
his  God  and  his  Saviour,  and  he  received  from  his  Judge  a  condem- 
nation which  passes  into  his  very  substance  :  terrible  punishment, — 
which  can  only  come  from  a  God  cruelly  outraged  !  Awful  chas- 
tisement !  which  brings  in  its  train  spiritual  blindness,  hard-hearted- 
ness  and  final  impenitence  ! 

St.  Ambrose  says,  that  the  most  evident  sign  of  a  man's  repro- 
bation, is  his  approaching  the  holy  table  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin, 
and  receiving  Communion  in  that  state,  without  fear  and  without 
remorse.  With  such,  faith  grows  weak,  is  daily  diminished,  and 
ends  at  last  by  being  entirely  extinguished.  They  cease  to  see  the 
light, — they  listen  to  no  entreaty, — are  insensible  to  good  counsel, — 
to  good  example, — dead  to  every  impulse  that  might  rouse  them 
from  their  fatal  lethargy  ;  their  conscience  is  hardened  by  the  con- 
stant repetition  of  crime;  the  darts  of  grace  are  blunted  against 
their  heart,  which  the  sword  of  the  divine  word  can  no  longer 


ON    A    BAD    COMMUNION.  373 

penetrate  ;  they  fearlessly  heap  sacrilege  upon  sacrilege ;  if  they  are 
not  surprised  by  a  sudden  death,  their  last  Communion  is  an  enor 
mous  sacrilege,  and  with  the  guilt  of  final  impenitence  upon  their 
souls  they  fall  into  the  eternal  torments  of  hell.  The  traitor  Judas, 
the  hideous  prototype  of  all  sacrilegious  wretches,  is  an  example  'of 
the  terrible  truth  which  I  here  advance.  Scarcely  has  he  received 
into  his  corrupt  heart  the  body  of  the  Saviour,  than  the  devil  enters 
and  takes  possession  of  his  soul.  From  that  moment,  he  makes 
immense  progress  in  the  ways  of  evil, — he  falls  from  vice  to  vice 
with  the  greatest  rapidity,  till  he  reaches  the  greatest  of  all  crimes, 
for  he  sells  the  Just,  the  Holy  One, — he  betrays  his  Saviour  with  a 
kiss  and  delivers  up  his  God  to  the  fury  of  his  mortal  enemies.  It 
is  true,  he  shortly  afterward  seems  to  conceive  a  horror  for  his 
offense,  and  casts  at  the  feet  of  the  Jews  the  money  which  he  had 
received  as  the  price  of  his  treason  ;  but  his  repentance  is  not  sin- 
cere. He  falls  into  despair, — he  becomes  a  self-murderer,  and 
scarcely  is  his  soul  buried  in  hell,  when  his  body  bursts  asunder, 
and  his  bowels  are  strewn  upon  the  ground.  Unfortunate  man ! 
He  had  made  an  unworthy  Communion, — he  had  eaten  and  drunk 
his  own  judgment ! 

However,  my  Brethren,  you  must  not  conclude  from  this  that  he 
who  has  had  the  misfortune  of  making  an  unworthy  Communion 
should  despair  of  his  salvation,  and  renounce  all  hope  of  the  happiness 
which  awaits  the  elect  in  heaven.  Oh !  no,  let  him  not  despair ; 
no  matter  how  great  his  crime,  no  matter  how  enormous  his  offense, 
he  has  still  one  resource  left.  The  mercy  of  God  is  greater  than 
all  the  sins  of  men, — it  is  infinite !  The  deicide  Jew  might  have 
obtained  his  forgiveness ;  the  sacrilegious  sinner  may  then  also  be 
reinstated  in  the  favor  and  friendship  of  God.  Let  him  go  and 
cast  himself,  in  the  tribunal  of  penance,  at  the  feet  of  his  divine 
Saviour,  and  he  shall  not  be  rejected ;  that  precious  blood  which  he 
had  the  shocking  impiety  to  profane,  can  still  purify  him  from  all 
his  sins.  Yes,  you  can  become  again  the  friend  of  God,  and  take 
your  place  among  His  cherished  children  ;  but  hasten, — delay  not 
a  moment,  and  never  again  add  sacrilege  upon  sacrilege,  lest  God 
should  forsake  you,  and  final  impenitence  open  for  you  the  depths 
of  the  abyss, — a  terrible  doom,  and  yet  too  often  the  doom  of  those 
who  profane  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ. 


374  SHORT    SEE  MONS.  » 

Great  God  !  to  crucify  Thee  again,  to  profane  Thy  adorable  body, 
to  trample  under  foot  Thy  precious  blood,  to  renew  the  treason  of 
Judas  and  the  outrage  of  the  Jews  ;  no,  Lord,  no, — never  let  this 
crime  be  committed  among  us.  May  all  the  faithful,  guided  by  Thy 
divine  light  and  supported  and  conducted  by  Thy  grace,  go  often  to 
receive  Thy  precious  blood  and  adorable  body ;  may  they  have  a 
horror  for  sacrilege,  and  may  they  always  come  to  the  heavenly 
banquet  clothed  with  the  nuptial  robes.  Lord,  deign  to  prepare  for 
thyself  Thy  dwelling  in  our  hearts,  and  never  permit  us  to  find 
death  in  this  divine  fountain  of  life.  Shower  down  upon  us  the 
abundance  of  Thy  graces,  and  grant  us  the  will  to  do  good  and  to 
shun  evil.  Inspire  us  with  a  profound  respect  and  veneration  for 
the  adorable  sacrament  of  Thy -body  and  blood,  that  we  may 
worthily  receive  this  pledge  of  eternal  life  and  of  a  glorious  immor- 
tality.— AMEN. 


SERMON  LXXVII. 

ON  FREQUENT  COMMUNION. 


"With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this  pasch  with  you  before  I  suffer." — 
ST.  LUKE,  xxii :  15. 

THE  Apostle  St.  John  tells  us  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  having 
loved  His  disciples,  loved  them  to  the  end,  that  is  to  say,  as  St. 
Chrysostom  explains  it,  that  He  carried  His  love  even  to  excess. 
This  is  a  truth  of  which  you  are  thoroughly  convinced  from  all  that 
we  have  hitherto  said  regarding  the  institution  of  the  holy  Eucharist. 
It  is  in  this  adorable  sacrament  that  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  for 
mankind  has  been  displayed  to  its  fullest  extent.  It  is  there  that 
He  offers  us  the  most  precious  treasure:  His  body  and  blood, 
strength,  grace  and  life.  Were  we  seriously  to  consider  the  value 
of  the  gift  which  He  bestows,  with  what  ardor  would  we  labor  to 
render  ourselves  worthy  of  being  often  admitted  to  eat  this  divine 
pasch  with  our  amiable  Saviour!  My  Brethren,  God  invites  us  to 


ON    FREQUENT    COMMUNION.  375 

this  sacred  banquet :  may  my  words,  then,  have  the  happy  effect  of 
inducing  you  to  respond  with  eagerness  to  this  tender  invitation, 
and  to  approach  frequently  the  holy  table  of  the  Lord. 

The  holy  Eucharist  is  not,  like  Baptism,  absolutely  necessary  for 
salvation;  a  person  can  be  saved  without  receiving  holy  Communion  ; 
but  as  a  precept  of  the  Church,  this  sacrament  is  necessary  for 
adults,  and  the  reception  of  Communion  is  a  divine  command, 
according  to  these  appalling  words  of  our  Saviour :  "  Unless  you 
eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  His  blood,  you  shall  not 
have  life  in  you."  We  must  go  to  Communion  as  soon  as  we  come 
to  the  use  of  reason,  and  are  sufficiently  instructed  in  the  mysteries 
of  faith ;  we  must  receive  this  sacrament,  at  least  at  Easter, 
every  year,  under  pain  of  mortal  sin,  unless  there  be  a  lawful 
cause  for  deferring  its  reception  ;  in  fine,  we  must  receive  holy 
Communion  when  we  are  in  danger, — even  probable  danger  of  death. 
Christian  mothers,  you  should  adopt  the  pious  practice  of  receiving 
holy  Communion  on  the  approach  of  your  confinement ;  this  ador- 
able sacrament  will  fortify  and  protect  you  against  the  dangers  and 
pains  of  child-birth ;  it  is  the  surest  means  of  drawing  down  upon 
you  and  the  child  that  the  Lord  has  given  you,  the  favors  and  bless- 
ings of  heaven. 

It  is  true,  those  who  go  to  Communion  at  Easter  satisfy  the  pre- 
cept ;  but  do  they  correspond  properly  to  the  spirit  and  will  of 
Jesus  Christ  ?  Is  it  one  Communion  in  the  year  that  this  divine 
Saviour  demands  of  you,  when  He  says  :  "  With  desire  I  have 
desired  to  eat  this  pasch  with  you?  . .  .  Take  ye  and  eat,"  He  says, 
"  this  is  my  body  ;  take  ye  and  drink,  this  is  my  blood ....  Unless 
you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  His  blood,  you  shall 
not  have  life  in  you."  Do  you  not  then  insult  the  goodness  of 
your  God  by  keeping  a  long  time  away  from  His  holy  table  ?  Do 
you  not  oppose  His  designs  of  mercy,  when  you  respond  but  rarely 
and  in  some  manner  by  compulsion  to  His  tender  invitations  ? 
Ah  !  if  you  loved  this  God,  who  is  so  prodigal  of  himself  toward 
you,  love  would  lead  you  frequently  to  the  sacred  banquet,  where 
He  gives  you  His  flesh,  His  blood,  His  soul  and  His  divinity  ; 
where  He  gives  himself  to  you  without  reserve  ! 

But  you  say,  our  holy  mother,  the  Church,  whom  God  has 
appointed  to  teach  and  conduct  us  in  the  ways  of  salvation,  pre- 


37 (J  SHORT    SERMONS. 

scribes  but  one  Communion  in  the  year.  My  Brethren,  what  do 
you  expect  and  require  of  your  children  ?  Not  only  that  they 
should  obey  your  orders,  but  also  that  they  should  respect  your 
advice  and  follow  your  counsels.  Now,  you  are  children  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  but  are  you  obedient  to  your  mother,  when  you 
wish  to  approach  but  once  a  year  the  holy  table  of  the  Lord? 
You  can  not  be  ignorant  of  the  fact,  that  the  Church  solicits  and 
entreats  you  to  present  yourselves  there  far  oftener.  "It  is,"  she 
tells  you  in  the  Council  of  Trent,  "with, all  her  maternal  affection 
that  she  admonishes,  exhorts,  and  conjures  you,  by  the  bowels  of  the 
mercy  of  God,  to  revere  the  sacred  mysteries  with  such  piety  and 
affection  of  heart,  that  you  may  be  in  a  state  to  receive  often  this 
divine  bread,  which  is  above  all  substance  ;  so  that,  fortified  by  this 
divine  food,  you  may  pass  from  the  pilgrimage  of  this  miserable 
life  to  your  heavenly  country."  "Yes,"  says  St.  Cyprian,  "we 
beg  of  God  to  give  us  daily  that  divine  bread  which  came  down 
from  heaven,  in  order  that  we  may  be  able  always  to  remain  united 
to  Jesus  Christ,  to  live  in  Him,  to  abide  in  Him,  and  that  we  may 
never  have  the  misfortune  of  being  separated  from  Him,  nor  lose 
His  holy  grace."  It  is  thus  we  would  act,  my  Brethren,  thus  we 
would  obey  the  voice  of  God,  our  Father,  and  of  the  Church,  our 
mother,  if  we  had  more  faith,  more  piety,  more  relish  for  the  good 
things  of  heaven,  and  more  zeal  for  our  own  salvation;  nor  would 
we  be  then  reduced  to  the  miserable  expedient  of  covering,  by 
specious  pretexts,  our  criminal  indifference  for  the  sacraments. 

You  are  urged  to  approach  frequently  to  the  holy  Communion, 
and  what  is  your  reply  ?  Would  to  God,  you  say,  it  were  possible 
for  us  to  receive  often  the  body  of  our  Saviour !  But  we  are  too 
much  occupied  with  the  affairs  of  life  ;  we  have  no  time  to  spare. 
Do  you  know  what  St.  Augustine  calls  these  great  affairs?  He 
styles  them  great  and  laborious  trifles.  Nevertheless,  my  Brethren, 
God  does  not  wish  that  you  should  neglect  them ;  but  ought  you 
not  to  esteem  your  salvation  and  sanctification  far  beyond  all  things 
else  ?  And  what  more  powerful  means  to  work  out  your  salvation 
than  frequent  Communion?  Is  it  not  to  it  you  should  have  re- 
course, to  nourish  and  fortify  your  souls  and  render  them  steadfast 
and  unshaken  in  the  love  and  service  of  God?  Frequent  Com- 
munion will  make  the  practice  of  virtue  easy  for  you, — it  will  help 


ON    FREQUENT   COMMUNION.  377 

you  to  fulfill  your  duties  ;  it  will  aid  you  to  live  well,  and  a  good 
and  virtuous  life  will  prepare  you  for  a  good  and  holy  Communion. 
Then  you  will  have  no  need  of  a  great  deal  of  time  or  of  great 
and  extraordinary  efforts  on  your  part  to  prepare  yourselves,  and 
approach  the  Lord's  table  in  holy  dispositions.  Had  the  primitive 
Christians  no  occupation  ?  They  were  to  he  met  with  everywhere  ; 
in  the  counting-house,  and  in  the  work-shop, — in  fields  and  in  cities, 
— at  the  har  and  in  the  army.  Like  you,  they  had  duties  to  fulfill 
as  fathers  and  mothers,  and  they  failed  not  to  discharge  the  obliga- 
tions of  their  respective  professions  ;  yet  they  found  time  and  means 
to  hear  Mass  every  day,  and  to  communicate  very  often.  What 
they  have  done  you  could  also  do  if  you  loved  God, — your  soul  and 
your  salvation. 

But  you  say,  it  is  not  so  much  our  occupations  as  fear  that  keeps 
us  from  approaching  frequently  the  holy  table.  Well,  of  what  are 
you  afraid  ? — Is  it  not  a  dreadful  crime  to  receive  unworthily  ? — 
Without  doubt,  it  is  a  most  horrible  crime  :  but  weigh  well  this 
expression  of  St.  Bonaventure :  "  To  approach  the  holy  table  un- 
worthily, is  a  crime  that  makes  one  shudder  with  horror ;  but  not 
to  receive  Communion,  through  sheer  negligence,  is  a  damnable 
sin."  But  is  there  not  a  medium  between  these  two  extremes, 
which  is  that  of  putting  one's  self  in  a  state  to  receive  worthily  ? 
Yes,  there  is  a  medium,  and  it  is  not  hard  to  find  it.  Shun  every 
mortal  sin  and  wean  your  hearts  from  all  attachments  to  venial 
faults  ;  acknowledging  your  weakness  and  the  need  you  have  of  the 
assistance  of  grace,  beg  it  from  Jesus  and  His  holy  Mother ;  place 
yourself  under  the  guidance  of  a  wise  director,  and  I  assure  you, 
that  you  will  never  make  unworthy  Communions. 

You  like  well  enough  to  go  often  to  receive  the  body  and  blood 
of  our  Lord,  but  then  the  world  will  say  that  you  wish  to  pass 
yourself  off  for  a  saint. — This  is  another  specious  pretext,  and  a 
very  common  one.  It  is  true,  my  Brethren,  there  are  a  great  many 
people  in  the  world  who  delight  in  criticising,  blaming  and  railing 
at  the  actions  of  their  neighbors.  Ought  we  to  fear  them  ?  No. 
If  you  receive  Communion  frequently,  who  are  they  that  find  fault 
with  you  ?  Not  the  true  Christians, — not  sincerely  virtuous  persons ; 
these  on  the  contrary  praise  and  esteem  you.  Who  are  they  who 
ridicule  you  ?  Men  without  piety  and  without  the  fear  of  God, — 
32 


378  SHORT    SERMONS. 

men  who  make  it  the  whole  business  of  their  lives  to  censure  the 
conduct  of  others, — men  who  know  not  what  it  is  to  love  God. 
Should  their  miserable  talk  keep  you  away  from  holy  Communion, 
and  prevent  you  from  enriching  your  souls  with  a  treasure  so 
precious  ?  If  you  wish  to  please  this  world,  you  can  not  please 
Jesus  Christ,  who  condemns  the  world,  abandoned  as  it  is  to  sin. 
Let  not  the  conversations  of  fools  prevent  you  from  being  wise ; 
and  for  a  miserable,  "  what  will  people  say  of  me,"  do  not  deprive 
your  soul  of  the  heavenly  nourishment  which  it  needs  so  much ;  do 
not  expose  it  to  the  danger  of  losing  God's  grace,  and  with  it  life 
everlasting. 

Who  has  ever  loved  more  than  he  who  gives  his  life  for  the  object 
of  his  love  ?  Thou,  Lord  Jesus,  for  Thou  wast  not  content  with 
giving  Thy  life,  with  shedding  Thy  blood  to  reconcile  us  with  Thy 
heavenly  Father,  but  Thou  didst  love  us  even  to  excess, — even  to 
give  us  Thy  flesh  for  our  food  and  Thy  blood  for  our  drink.  We 
know  how  great  is  the  precious  gift  which  Thou  offerest  to  us,  0 
divine  Saviour  !  We  know  that,  in  the  adorable  Eucharist,  we 
receive  the  bread  of  life, — the  pledge  of  immortality  !  We  would 
often  sit  at  Thy  celestial  banquet,  but  the  enemies  of  our  salvation, 
the  world  by  its  censures,  the  devil  by  his  perfidious  suggestions, 
concupiscence  by  its  temptations,  continually  oppose  our  good  will. 
Deign  Lord,  deign  to  infuse  into  our  souls  sufficient  strength  and 
energy  to  overcome  all  these  obstacles.  Yes,  divine  Jesus,  Thy 
grace  will  support  us,  for  Thy  holy  Mother  will  obtain  it  for  us  ; 
we  will  come  often  to  eat  the  bread  of  angels,  and  to  drink  the 
chalice  of  Thy  blood,  that  Thou  mayest  abide  in  us  and  we  may 
abide  in  Thee,  now  and  forever. — AMEN. 


ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE.       379 


SERMON  LXXYIII. 

ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


"Whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them  ;  and  whose  you  shall 
retain,  they  are  retained." — ST.  JOHN,  xx :  23. 

WE  have  been  regenerated  in  the  holy  waters  of  Baptism, 
strengthened  and  made  perfect  Christians  by  the  Sacrament  of 
Confirmation,  our  souls  are  nourished  with  the  body  and  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  in  the  adorable  Eucharist,  the  Lord  has  aided  us  with 
His  graces  and  enlightened  us  with  His  light :  but,  alas  !  we  have 
despised  all,  we  have  repeatedly  trampled  under  foot  the  holy  will 
of  God,  we  have  violated  His  law  and  lost  His  grace  and  His 
friendship  ;  we  have  grievously  sinned,  so  great  is  our  weakness  ! 
so  deep  is  the  corruption  of  our  nature  !  The  Eternal  Truth  has 
said  that  "nothing  defiled  shall  ever  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Shall  the  gates  of  heaven  then  be  forever  closed  against  us  ?  No. 
God  wills  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but  that  he  should  be  converted 
and  live,  and  the  mercy  of  our  heavenly  Father  offers  us  a  plank  of 
salvation  ;  for  in  the  Church  of  His  divine  Son,  there  is  remission 
of  sins, — there  is  the  precious  Sacrament  of  Penance.  I  proceed 
to-day  to  treat  of  this  most  important  matter,  and  therefore  rely 
upon  your  kind  attention. 

The  word  Penance,  in  general,  signifies  to  repent,  and  expresses 
both  a  virtue  and  a  sacrament.  As  a  virtue,  it  makes  us  detest  our 
sins  and  repair  the  injury  offered  to  God  when  we  committed  them. 
This  virtue  has  been  always  indispensably  necessary  for  obtaining 
from  the  mercy  of  God  the  pardon  of  sins.  God,  who  is  sanctity 
itself,  and  whose  justice  is  infinite,  grants  the  grace  of  forgiveness 
and  gives  His  friendship  to  none  but  repenting  sinners  and  those 
sincerely  resolved  to  change  their  lives  and  to  do  penance.  It  is 
only  when  there  is  true  contrition  in  the  humbled  heart  of  the  sinner, 
that  it  can  approach  near  enough  to  God  to  receive  from  Him  the 


380  SHORT    SERMONS. 

kiss  of  peace  and  reconciliation.  So,  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  we  see 
no  example  of  pardon  granted  to  the  unrepentant;  on- the  contrary, 
the  word  of  God  emphatically  tells  us,  that  without  repentance  there 
is  no  hope  of  eternal  salvation. 

Under  the  law  of  grace,  Penance  has  assumed  a  new  character ; 
Jesus  Christ  elevated  it  to  the  dignity  of  a  sacrament, — made  it  a 
sacred  rite,  the  exercise  of  which  He  has  intrusted  solely  to  His 
priests.  What  then  is  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  ?  It  is  a  sacra- 
ment, instituted  by  Christ,  to  remit  for  those  who  are  well-disposed, 
all  the  sins  which  they  have  committed  after  Baptism.  In  it,  my 
Brethren,  we  find  the  means  which  the  Saviour  has  established  among 
us,  to  apply  to  us  the  all-powerful  virtue  of  His  blood,  and  to  heal 
the  wounds  inflicted  upon  our  souls  by  sin.  And,  since  the  divine 
Mercy  has  opened  in  His  Church  this  precious  source  of  grace,  if 
the  sinner  does  not  have  recourse  to  it  when  it  is  in  his  power,  his 
salvation  is  hopeless,  and  no  matter  how  apparent  may  be  his 
repentance,  there  is  no  possibility  of  his  being  reinstated  in  the  favor 
and  friendship  of  God.  Such  is  the  will  of  God, — such  is  the  order 
which  He  has  established. 

The  Sacrament  of  Penance  is  therefore  absolutely  necessary,  as  a 
means  of  salvation  and  by  right  divine,  for  all  those  who  have  lost 
their  baptismal  innocence  by  becoming  guilty  of  mortal  sin.  "  It 
is  necessary  for  salvation,"  as  the  Council  of  Trent  tells  us.  "for 
those  who  have  fallen  into  sin  after  Baptism,  as  Baptism  is  for 
those  who  are  not  yet  regenerated."  However,  the  Sacrament  of 
Penance  may  be  supplied  in  case  of  necessity.  Thus,  a  sinner 
who,  at  the  point  of  death,  can  not  get  a  priest,  may,  nevertheless, 
obtain  the  grace  of  reconciliation,  if  he  is  truly  and  sincerely  sorry 
from  the  bottom  of  His  heart  for  having  offended  God,  because  He 
is  infinitely  good  in  himself;  and  if  he  join  to  repentance  the  ardent 
wish  of  receiving  the  sacrament,  that  is  to  say,  a  longing  desire  to 
confess  his  sins  and  to  receive  absolution, were  it  in  his  power. 

When  was  it  that  our  divine  Saviour  established,  in  His  Church, 
the  power  of  remitting  and  of  retaining  sins  ?  He  first  made  this 
promise  when  He  said  to  His  Apostles:  "Whatsoever  thou  shalt 
bind  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven :  and  whatso- 
ever thou  shalt  loose  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven." 
It  was  a  few  days  before  His  ascension,  that  He  made  this  promise. 


ON    THE    SACRAMENT    OF    PENANCE.  381 

He  appeared  in  the  midst  of  His  disciples, — breathed  on  them, 
and  said:  "Keceive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost:  Whose  sins  you  shall 
forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them:  and  whose  you  shall  retain, 
they  are  retained."*  Then  it  was  that  the  Sacrament  of  Penance 
was  instituted  ;  it  was  then  that  the  Son  of  God,  to  whom  all 
power  was  given  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  granted,  not  to  angels 
nor  to  archangels,  but  to  His  Apostles  and  their  lawful  suc- 
cessors in  the  ministry,  an  authority  over  souls,  which  opens  or 
shuts  the  gates  of  heaven,  since  God  ratifies  there  the  judgments 
which  they  pronounce  on  earth ;  it  was  then  that  He  appointed 
them  the  judges  of  conscience,  with  power  to  decide  what  sinners 
are  worthy,  and  who  are  unworthy  of  receiving  the  pardon  of  their 
sins ;  it  was  then,  in  fine,  that  He  bestowed  upon  them  the  divine 
power  of  truly  and  efficaciously  remitting  or  retaining  the  sins  of 
men,  according  as  they  imparted  or  refused  the  benefits  of  abso- 
lution. And  this  power  our  divine  Saviour  gave  to  His  Apostles 
and  successors  in  the  most  extensive  and  ample  measure ;  that  is, 
without  restriction,  without  exception,  without  limits;  in  other 
words,  there  is  no  sin,  no  crime,  no  offense,  no  matter  how  black, 
enormous  or  awful,  which  may  not  be  entirely  and  forever  blotted 
out  by  the  grace  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  when  the  sinner 
receives  it  from  the  hands  of  a  priest  legitimately  ordained  and 
invested  with  the  necessary  jurisdiction. 

What  is  the  benefit,  and  what  are  the  advantages  which  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance  procures  for  us  ?  My  Brethren,  to  know  the 
great  importance  and  inestimable  value  of  the  benefits  which  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  granted  to  mankind  when  He  instituted  this 
Sacrament,  it  is  necessary  to  tell  you  what  mortal  sin  is,  and  the 
immense  injury  which  it  inflicts  upon  the  soul.  Mortal  sin,  com- 
mitted by  man,  who  is  but  a  worm  of  the  earth,  directly  attacks  the 
Supreme  Ruler  of  the  universe, — the  Omnipotent  God,  who  could 
annihilate  His  enemies  the  very  moment  they  offend  Him.  Man, 
by  committing  mortal  sin,  outrages  God  in  His  very  presence, 
under  His  eyes,  at  the  very  instant  too,  when  this  God  of  goodness 
is  heaping  His  favors  upon  man.  Mortal  sin  deprives  the  soul  of 
the  grace  and  friendship  of  the  Lord,  the  best  and  the  kindest  of 

*  St.  John,  xx  :  22,  23. 


382  S  II  0 11 T    SERMONS. 

Fathers ;  it  takes  from  the  soul  all  the  merits  of  the  good  works 
which  it  had  performed ;  it  deprives  it  of  all  right  to  heaven,  and 
renders  it  worthy  of  hell.  How  sad  is  the  lot  of  him  who  commits 
mortal  sin  !  Behold,  the  gates  of  heaven  are  closed  against  him, 
and  hell  is  open  to  receive  him  !  But  must  he  abandon  his  soul  to 
despair, — this  poor  soul  already  so  sadly  torn  by  the  pangs  of 
remorse  ?  Oh  !  no ;  let  him  rather  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  recalling  His  wandering  sheep.  Do  penance,  He  says 
to  him,  come  to  me  all  you  who  are  loaded  with  the  weight  of  sin, 
— all  you  who  have  wearied  yourselves  in  the  ways  of  iniquity,  and 
I  will  refresh  you.  Let  my  grace  touch  your  hearts, — repent  sin- 
cerely, take  the  firm  resolution  of  never  more  falling  into  sin ;  go 
and  cast  yourselves  at  the  feet  of  my  minister,  make  to  him  an 
humble  confession  of  your  faults,  and  he  will  say  to  you,  in  my 
name:  "I  absolve  you  of  your  sins;  go  in  peace,  your  sins  are 
forgiven." 

How  good,  how  merciful  is  the  Lord !  What  gratitude  do  we 
not  owe  Him  for  having  established,  in  His  Church,  the  Sacrament 
of  Penance?  This  Sacrament  opens  heaven  and  it  shuts  hell,  it 
restores  to  us  the  grace  and  friendship  of  the  Lord ;  it  causes  all 
our  merits  and  good  works  to  revive, — it  reinstates  us  in  our  right 
to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  it  once  more  inscribes  our  names  in  the 
book  of  life,  from  which  they  had  been  blotted  out;  it  gives  us  new 
strength  to  walk  along  the  way  of  salvation  !  The  Sacrament  of 
Penance  remits  all  the  eternal  pains  due  to  our  sins,  and  sometimes, 
also  the  temporal  pains  which  we  must  needs  suffer  in  this  world, 
or  in  the  world  to  come  ;  it  gives  a  sweet  repose  to  our  conscience, 
— abates,  or  extinguishes  the  fire  of  our  passions, — curbs  the  desires 
of  concupiscence,  and  fortifies  our  will  for  good. 

"I  absolve thee  from  thy  sins,"  says  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ; 
0  sweet  and  powerful  words,  which  impart  peace,  tranquillity  and 
happiness  !  "There  is  no  peace  for  the  wicked," — his  conscience 
pursues  him  everywhere.  St.  Augustine  says  of  himself:  I  plunged 
into  pleasures,  and  I  found  only  sorrows.  Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn,  were  the  words  of  our  divine  Lord,  not  only  because  they 
will  be  consoled  in  eternity,  but  because,  that  even  on  earth,  the 
tears  of  repentance  have  their  joy, — their  delights,  and  are  already 
sweeter  than  all  the  false  and  fleeting  joys  of  sin. 


ON    EXAMINATION    OF    CONSCIENCE.  383 

How  great  are  the  benefits, — how  precious  the  advantages  which 
the  Sacrament  of  Penance  procures  for  sinners  !  We  ought  to 
resort  frequently  to  this  source  of  grace  and  pardon;  we  should 
hasten  to  approach  this  sacred  tribunal,  every  time  we  have  had  the 
misfortune  to  fall  into  a  single  mortal  sin.  Delay  not, — defer  not, 
— believe  me,  there  is  too  much  danger  in  delay  of  conversion. 
Divine  Mercy  is  infinite,  no  doubt,  but  then  it  has  its  fixed  time, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  says  that  the  anger  of  God  follows  close  on 
His  mercy.  To  persevere  in  sin,  says  St.  Chrysostom,  is  to  possess 
the  malice  of  the  devil ;  and  St  Bernard  adds,  that  it  is  to  render 
ourselves  worthy  of  the  sad  fate  of  that  dark  spirit.  He  who,  dur- 
ing his  life,  shall  have  neglected  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  and 
put  off  from  day  to  day  his  conversion,  can  have  but  little  hope, 
says  St.  Jerome,  of  obtaining  from  God  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins, 
at  the  hour  of  death.  Be  ever  grateful  to  Almighty  God  for  having 
left  in  His  Church  the  merciful  tribunal  of  penance,  and  never  per- 
mit soul-killing  sin  to  abide  in  your  hearts  ;  but  hasten  to  purify 
your  souls  from  its  defilement  in  the  tears  of  penance,  that  you  may 
be  reinstated  in  the  sweet  peace  of  the  children  of  God,  and  that, 
pure  and  spotless,  you  may  deserve  to  be  made  partakers  of  the 
happiness  of  the  elect  in  heaven. — AMES. 


SERMON  LXXIX. 

ON  THE  EXAMINATION  OF  CONSCIENCE. 


"  Let  us  search  our  ways,  and  seek,  and  return  to  the  Lord." — LAM.,  iii :  40. 

WE  know  now  in  what  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  consists,  and 
what  are  the  precious  and  inestimable  advantages  which  it  procures 
for  those  who  receive  it  with  the  proper  dispositions.  But  to  receive 
the  holy  and  salutary  effects  of  this  sacrament,  there  are  five  con- 
ditions to  be  fulfilled,  namely:  "Examination  of  Conscience,  con- 
trition, a  firm  purpose  of  amendment,  confession  and  satisfaction." 


384  SHORT    SERMONS. 

I  wish  to  make  these  conditions  as  clear  and  plain  to  your  minds  as 
possible,  for  they  are  of  the  greatest  importance.  To-day,  I  will 
speak  of  the  Examination  of  Conscience,  which  is  the  first  step 
which  we  are  to  take  before  approaching  the  tribunal  of  penance. 

Before  a  person  goes  to  confession,  he  must  examine  his  conscience, 
that  is,  he  must  make  an  exact  search, — a  strict  inquiry  into  all  his 
thoughts,  all  his  desires,  all  his  words,  all  his  actions,  and  all  his 
omissions  contrary  to  the  holy  law  of  God ;  in  a  word,  into  all  the 
sins  which  he  has  committed  since  his  last  confession.  Such  is  the 
"  diligent  discussion  of  ourselves  "  which  the  holy  Council  of  Trent 
demands  of  penitents  before  they  are  permitted  to  approach  the 
tribunal  of  mercy. 

The  necessity  of  examining  our  conscience,  is  founded  on  the 
very  nature  of  the  sacrament  which  we  are  about  to  receive.  The 
Lord  has  given  to  His  ministers  the  truly  divine  power  of  remitting 
and  retaining  the  sins  which  we  have  committed ;  He  appointed 
them  the  judges  of  our  consciences.  Now,  my  Brethren,  how  do 
we  proceed  in  the  tribunals  of  human  justice  ?  Is  it  not  the  duty 
of  the  judge  to  make  a  diligent  inquiry  into  the  cause  to  be  tried  ? 
Must  he  not  thoroughly  investigate  the  case  ?  Could  he  pass  a 
just  and  equitable  judgment  upon  the  innocence  or  .criminality  of 
the  accused,  if  his  crime  were  unknown  to  him?  Surely  not.  In 
like  manner,  the  priest  of  the  Lord,  in  the  tribunal  of  penance,  can 
not  pass  judgment  on  a  conscience,  the  state  of  which  he  knows 
not.  The  sinner  therefore  must  accuse  himself  of  all  his  sins,  at 
least,  of  all  those  that  are  mortal.  He  must  come  himself  to  reveal 
the  nature  and  the  circumstances  of  the  sins  which  sully  his  soul. 
It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  he  endeavor  to  recall  to  mind  all  the 
sins  which  he  has  committed  ;  that  he  examine  his  conscience  well, 
for  it  would  be  to  expose  himself  to  very  great  evil  to  receive  abso- 
lution on  a  soul  not  properly  examined.  If,  through  want  of  due 
examination  he  forgets  a  mortal  sin,  his  confession  would  be  sacri- 
legious and  null, — he  would  profane  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 
How  then  ought  this  examination  be  made  ?  I  know  that  it  would 
be  a  signal  service  to  many  timid  souls  if  we  could  determine  for 
them  exactly  the  time,  the  care,  and  the  application  which  they 
ought  to  employ  in  the  examination  of  their  conscience;  but,  my 
Brethren,  all  that  we  can  say  about  this  is,  that  it  depends  on  two 


EXAMINATION    OF    CONSCIENCE*  385 

circumstances,  namely :  the  kind  of  life  of  the  penitent,  and  the 
frequency  or  the  unfrequency  of  his  confessions.  No  doubt,  the 
Christian  who  loves  and  fears  the  Lord,  who  constantly  watches 
over  the  thoughts  and  sentiments  of  his  heart,  who  comes  often  to 
purify  himself  in  the  waters  of  repentance,  can,  in  a  very  short  time, 
make  a  review  of  his  soul,  and  put  himself  in  a  position  to  make 
known  its  state  to  his  confessor.  But  can  the  same  be  said  of  the 
careless  and  worldly  Christian,  who  exposes  himself  to  all  kinds  of 
temptations,  who  heaps  sin  upon  sin,  who  lays  down  the  heavy 
burden  of  his  offences  only  at  long  intervals,  perhaps  only  once  in 
the  year.  No  doubt,  this  sinner  must  devote  much  more  time,  and 
take  far  greater  care  in  examining  his  conscience  and  finding  out  his 
sins.  You  ought  always  devote  as  much  attention  and  care  to  your 
examination,  as  you  would  reasonably  bestow  upon  an  affair  of  the 
highest  importance.  In  truth,  you  should  give  more  time  and 
application  to  this  than  to  any  other  business  of  your  life,  since  the 
affair  of  your  eternal  salvation  is  infinitely  more  important  than  all 
the  others  together. 

But,  my  God  !  is  this  the  way  we  act  ?  Is  it  thus  that  we  con- 
duct ourselves  when  there  is  a  question  of  preparing  ourselves  for 
an  humble  confession  of  our  sins,  which  is  to  reconcile  us  with  Thee  ? 
Do  we  examine  our  conscience  ?  Alas  !  we  run  into  the  confessional, 
almost  without  a  moment's  previous  reflection, — without  knowing 
what  we  are  to  say  to  the  priest  of  Jesus  Christ ;  we  say  little  or 
nothing, — remain  there  silent ;  and  our  confessor  is  constrained  to 
sound  by  little  and  little  the  depths  of  our  conscience,  and  by 
numberless  questions,  to  drag  from  it  the  sins  by  which  it  is  sullied. 
We  imagine  ourselves  safe,  because,  having  declared  some  sins  which 
we  happened  to  remember,  we  add  that  we  also  accuse  ourselves  of 
the  sins  which  we  do  not  now  recall  to  mind.  But,  my  Brethren, 
are  you  not  deceiving  yourselves  ?  Are  all  the  sins  which  you  did 
not  remember  forgiven  ?  If  you  have  made  the  necessary  examin- 
ation, without  doubt,  your  forgotten  sins  are  pardoned ;  but  if  you 
have  not  examined  yourselves  with  all  the  care,  which  the  state  of 
your  conscience  required,  neither  the  sins  which  you  had  forgotten, 
nor  those  which  you  confessed  are  forgiven  ;  but  you  commit  a 
sacrilege.  If  you  are  notably  deficient  in  the  examination  of  your 
conEf0ien,ce,  yon  insult  the  majesty  of  God, — you  profane  the 
33 


386  SLIGHT    S  K  KM  ON  8  . 

sacrament, — your  confession  is  null  and  void,  and  you  must  repeat 
all  the  confessions,  in  which,  through  your  criminal  negligence,  you 
have  omitted  to  declare  the  sins  which  you  have  committed.  Let  us 
see  now  on  what  you  ought  to  examine  your  conscience.  Generally 
speaking,  there  is  no  obligation  of  confessing  venial  sins  ;  they  are 
not  therefore  the  necessary  matter  for  the  Examination  of  Con- 
science. I  make  this  remark  for  the  benefit  of  those  scrupulous 
persons,  who  very  often  approaching  the  sacraments,  imagine  that 
they  do  right  in  devoting  entire  hours  to  their  examination,  and 
thus  lose  a  precious  time,  which  they  could  employ  far  more  profit- 
ably in  exciting  their  hearts  to  sentiments  of  true  repentance.  But, 
as  to  Christians  less  pious  and  more  remiss  in  their  religious  duties, 
they  must  extend  their  examination  over  all  their  sins,  for  with 
them  it  is  not  always  easy  to  distinguish  venial  faults  from  mortal 
sins. 

The  necessary  matter  for  the  Examination  of  Conscience  is  then 
all  mortal  sins,  not  only  those  which  are  certainly  mortal,  but  also 
those  which  are  doubtfully  so ;  it  also  comprises  all  the  circum- 
stances which  change  the  species  of  the  sin,  and  which  notably 
augment  or  diminish  its  malice.  You  must  also  endeavor  to  call 
to  mind  the  exact  number  of  times  you  have  committed  the  same 
sin.  "It  is  not  enough  for  the  sinner,"  says  the  Council  of  Trent, 
"to  go  and  cast  himself  at  the  feet  of  the  confessor  and  declare 
himself  guilty  ;  he  must  also  confess  the  kind  and  the  number  of 
his  sins."  It  is  then  very  necessary  before  making  his  confession, 
that  the  sinner  seek  to  ascertain  the  number,  the  kind,  and  the 
nature  of  his  prevarications.  There  are  oftentimes  circumstances 
which  considerably  augment  or  diminish  the  malice  of  a  sin,  and 
circumstances  which  change  its  species  ;  the  sinner  must  carefully 
examine  himself  on  this  important  point,  that  the  judge,  who 
occupies  the  place  of  Jesus  Christ,  may  be  able  to  pronounce  the 
sentence  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  case.  To  enable  you  to 
comprehend  well  what  I  have  said  on  this  subject,  I  will  adduce 
some  examples. 

Blasphemy  is  doubtless  a  most  grievous  sin,  one  of  its  own  nature 
always  mortal.  But  if  a  man  fall  into  it  by  a  sudden  moment  of 
anger,  by  surprise,  and  without  reflection,  this  circumstance  notably 
diminishes  his  sin,  and  perhaps  excuses  him  altogether  before 


EXAMINATION    OF    CONSCIENCE.  387 

To  steal  a  few  cents  is  only  a  venial  sin ;  but  if  one  takes  this  sum 
from  a  person  who  has  nothing  else  to  live  on,  here  is  a  circumstance 
which  notably  augments  the  malice  of  the  sin,  and  renders  it  mortal. 
To  steal  from  a  church  makes  the  theft  a  sacrilege.  Thus,  as  you 
see,  certain  circumstances  can  increase,  or  diminish,  or  change  the 
malice  of  your  sins  ;  you  must  accuse  yourselves  of  these.  To  do 
this  you  must  know  them  ;  therefore,  you  must  examine  your  con- 
science about  them. 

Do  you  wish  then  to  make  your  examination  as  God  requires  you 
to  make  it,  and  to  be  able  to  accuse  yourselves  of  your  sins,  so  that 
there  will  be  nothing  wanting  to  the  essential  integrity  of  your  con- 
fession ?  First  then,  fall  on  your  knees  before  the  divine  Majesty, 
and  thank  Him  for  the  graces  He  has  granted  to  you.  Recall  to 
your  mind  that  it  is  He  who  created  you,  who  has  purchased  you, 
not  with  silver  or  gold,  but  with  His  own  divine  blood  ;  that  His 
mercy  has  sought  after  you  and  invited  you,  and  for  a  long  time 
has  waited  for  your  repentance.  Invoke  with  true  filial  confidence 
the  light  and  assistance  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  beg  Him  to  enlighten 
your  conscience,  to  dissipate  the  darkness  which  conceals  from  your 
eyes  the  sins  which  defile  it.  Implore  the  holy  Virgin  to  obtain  for 
you  the  grace  to  make  a  good  confession.  Make  a  sincere  and  heart- 
felt act  of  contrition.  Then  examine  yourselves  on  the  seven  deadly 
sins,  on  the  commandments  of  God  and  the  precepts  of  the  Church, 
and  on  all  the  duties  of  your  state  of  life,  for  on  all  these  will  you 
be  one  day  judged  by  God.  Think  over  the  different  places  in 
which  yon  were,  the  persons  with  whom  you  have  associated,  the 
business  in  which  you  have  been  employed,  your  passions  and  your 
inclinations. 

After  your  examination  is  finished,  once  more  ask  God  to  pardon 
the  sins  of  which  you  have  been  guilty  ;  and  in  conclusion  form 
resolutions  and  take  the  necessary  precautions  to  expiate  and  avoid 
them.  Act  thus,  my  Brethren,  so  that,  by  a  good  confession,  you 
may  make  your  peace  with  God,  and  be  once  more  placed  on  the 
road  to  virtue, — the  only  one  which  leads  to  heaven. — AMEN. 


388  SHORT   SERMONS. 


SERMON  LXXX. 

ON  CONTRITION. 


"  A  sacrifice  to  God  is  an  afflicted  spirit:  a  contrite  and  humble  heart,  0  God, 
thou  wilt  not  despise." — PSALMS,  1:19. 

THE  sinner  who  wishes  to  be  restored  to  the  favor  and  friendship 
of  God,  must  come  to  the  feet  of  the  minister  of  the  Lord,  and 
make  known  to  him  his  sins,  their  number  and  species,  with  the 
circumstances  which  materially  change,  augment,  or  diminish  their 
malice.-  He  must  then  carefully  examine  his  conscience.  But  it 
would  be  to  no  purpose  to  call  to  mind  the  sins  which  defile  his 
soul,  nor  can  he  obtain  pardon  for  them,  unless  the  remembrance 
excite  in  his  heart  true  and  sincere  Contrition.  Contrition  holds 
the  first  rank  among  the  acts  of  the  penitent.  It  is  absolutely 
necessary,  and  to  be  pleasing  to  God,  it  must  possess  certain  quali- 
ties. These  qualities  will  form  the  subject-matter  of  this  instruction. 

Contrition  is  a  heart-felt  sorrow,  and  a  detestation  of  the  sins 
which  we  have  committed,  with  the  firm  purpose  of  sinning  no 
more  for  the  future.  Contrition  regards  both  the  past  and  the 
future.  For  the  past,  it  is  a  regret  for  having  offended  God ;  for 
the  future,  it  is  the  resolute  will  to  sin  no  more.  It  includes  not 
only  the  ceasing  to  sin,  with  the  purpose  and  commencement  of  a 
new  life,  but  also  hatred  and  detestation  of  the  sinful  life  we  have 
been  leading. 

As  water  is  necessary  in  the  administration  of  Baptism,  so  re- 
pentance is  necessary  to  obtain  pardon  in  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 
Nay,  is  more :  the  baptism  of  water  can  be  supplied  by  the  baptism 
of  desire  and  by  the  baptism  of  blood  or  martyrdom  ;  but  to  return 
to  the  grace  of  God,  there  is  no  means  of  salvation  which  can  re- 
place Contrition.  Confess  your  sins  as  often  as  you  please,  practice 
the  severest  mortifications,  amend  all  your  vicious  ways,  still,  unless 
you  have  a  true  sorrow  for  your  sins,  you  will  remain  always  guilty,-^— 


ON    CONTRITION.  389 

always  defiled.  Be  very  careful  therefore,  that  yon  do  not  imagine 
the  Sacrament  of  Penance  to  consist  merely  in  the  confession  of 
your  sins  and  the  absolution  of  the  priest.  You  have  rebelled 
against  God — you  have  despised  His  law,  and,  unless  you  repent 
of  this  rebellion,  and  persevere  in  His  service,  God,  all-merciful  as 
He  is,  will  not  forgive  your  sins,  though  the  sovereign  pontiff  him- 
self were  to  pronounce  over  you  a  thousand  times  the  words  of 
absolution.  Suppose  a  man  had  lived  during  the  space  of  eighty 
years  in  the  practice  of  every  Christian  virtue, — the  purest  and 
most  perfect  model  of  holiness  ;  but  at  the  end  of  .his  life  were  to 
fall  into  one  mortal  sin,  and  died  in  that  sin  without  having  true 
repentance  ;  what  would  be  his  doom  for  all  eternity  ?  He  would 
be  forever  condemned  to  hell.  But  you  say,  he  has  confessed  his 
sins,  received  the  holy  Viaticum,  Extreme  Unction,  and  a  plenary 
indulgence.  Yes,  but  if  you  are  sure  that  his  heart  was  not  truly 
repentant, — that  he  had  not  true  Contrition,  I  must  persist  in  my 
assertion  that  his  soul  is  in  hell.  For,  to  return  to  the  grace  of 
God, — to  regain  the  favor  of  heaven,  Contrition  is  indispensable, 
and  it  must  be  interior,  supernatural,  sovereign  and  universal. 

Contrition  must  be  interior,  that  is  to  say,  it  must  exist  in  the 
soul, — the  heart  must  be  truly  penetrated  with  it.  It  is  the  heart 
which  has  sinned, — it  is  the  heart  which,  by  its  immoderate  attach- 
ment to  the  creature,  has  been  the  principle  and  the  source  of  sin ; 
Contrition  therefore  must  spring  from  the  heart,  to  destroy  its  in- 
ordinate love  of  the  creature.  It  is  by  the  heart  that  man  strays 
away  from  God ;  it  is  the  heart  which  is  sick ;  the  remedy  therefore 
must  be  applied  to,  and  operate  upon  the  heart, — the  heart  must  be 
bruised  with  sorrow, — repentance  must  be  in  the  heart,  to  heal  it  of 
its  malady  and  lead  it  back  to  God.  To  attain  heaven,  it  is  not 
enough  to  say,  Lord,  Lord,  I  am  sorry  for  having  offended  Thee ! 
If  the  heart  speak  not  the  word,  the  motion  of  the  lips  avail  no- 
thing. God  pardons,  but  only  the  contrite  and  humble  heart ;  God 
forgives, — but  He  forgives  the  penitent  who  is  converted  with  his 
whole  heart,  who,  in  the  language  of  the  prophet,  "  rends  his  heart 
and  not  his  garments." 

Contrition  must  be  supernatural,  that  is,  it  must  be  excited  in  us 
by  a  motion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  founded  upon  motives  of  faith. 
It  must  come  from  God,  and  have  God  for  its  end,  since  it  must 


890  SHOUT    S  K  tt  M  O  N  8  . 

lead  us  to  detest  sin  as  an  offense  against  God.  Contrition  must 
be  supernatural  in  its  principle.  It  must  spring  from  God, — God 
alone  can  produce  it  in  our  souls  :  hence  the  prophet  said  :  "  Con- 
vert us  to  Thee,  0  Lord,  and  we  shall  be  converted."*  You  have 
destroyed  the  life  of  grace  by  mortal  sin,  but  you  can  not  recover 
it  by  your  own  strength,  for  Contrition  is  the  gift  of  heaven. 
Nevertheless,  yield  not  to  despair,  but  be  urgent  in  prayer ;  this 
Contrition,  which  is  above  your  strength  and  which  you  can  never 
merit,  may  be  obtained  by  prayer.  "  Ask,  and  you  shall  receive  ; 
knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you ;"  knock, — God  will  hear 
your  sighs,  and  Contrition  will  descend  into  your  hearts,  for  the 
Saviour  has  said  :  "  Whatsoever  you  shall  ask  my  heavenly  Father 
in  my  name,  shall  be  given  unto  you." 

Contrition  must  therefore  be  supernatural  in  its  principle.  It 
must  also  be  supernatural  in  its  motives;  that  is,  it  must  be  founded 
on  motives  which  faith  furnishes,  and  not  on  motives  purely  human 
and  natural.  Our  Contrition  will  be  supernatural  in  its  motives,  if 
we  be  truly  sorry  for  having  offended  God,  because  faith  reveals  to 
us  the  enormity  and  heinousness  of  sin ;  or,  because  sin  offers  an 
injury  to  God  and  offends  the  best  of  Fathers  ;  or,  because  sin  makes 
us  lose  heaven  ;  or,  at  least,  because  eternal  torments  are  reserved 
for  every  grievous  sin.  These  motives  are  supernatural,  since  they 
come  from  God ;  inspired  by  heaven,  they  have  reference  to  God  and 
to  the  things  of  God;  and  such  Contrition  will  obtain  the  pardon 
of  our  sins.  Alas  !  how  many  sinners  are  there,  who  repent  of  their 
sins  only  for  human  reasons, — whose  Contrition  springs  from  mere 
natural  motives,  and  therefore  is  incapable  of  obtaining  the  forgive- 
ness of  their  transgressions  !  A  man  commits  a  theft :  he  is  sorry 
for  it,  and  even  conceives  a  deep  and  most  lively  sorrow  for  his 
offense ;  but  it  is  because  he  has  been  arrested  by  an  officer  of 
justice, — he  will  be  delivered  to  the  court  to  be  tried  in  a  few  days, 
and  will  be  sentenced  to  hard  labor  in  the  penitentiary.  A  young 
girl  has  had  the  misfortune  to  yield  to  temptation, — to  commit  a 
bad  act :  she  bitterly  laments  her  folly, — she  weeps  most  sincerely 
over  her  shame,  but  it  is  because  her  disgrace  has  become  public. 
In  these  cases,  repentance  is  excited  only  through  fear  of  temporal 

*  Jeremias. 


ON    CONTIilTION.  391 

evils, — it  conies  not  from  God, — it  has  no  relation  to  God, — God 
is  not  taken  into  consideration.  It  is  God  whom  you  have 
offended,  but  it  is  not  on  His  account  that  you  regret  having  done 
the  evil; — your  Contrition  is  therefore  only  natural,  and  God 
makes  no  account  of  your  sorrow;  your  Contrition  neither  blots 
out  your  sin,  nor  does  it  reconcile  you  to  the  Lord. 

Contrition  must  be  sovereign,  that  is  to  say,  the  penitent  must  be 
more  afflicted  for  having  offended  God,  than  for  all  the  evils  that 
could  befall  him.  Sin  deprives  us  of  heaven,  exposes  us  to  hell, 
offends  a  God  infinitely  good, — infinitely  perfect ;  that  is,  sin 
causes  the  greatest  and  most  frightful  of  all  evils.  A  slight  evil 
afflicts  us  little, — a  great  evil  afflicts  us  much.  Now.  sin  is  the 
greatest  of  all  evils;  it  is  therefore  just  to  regret  and  weep  more 
over  sin  than  over  all  other  evils,  which,  however  great  under  other 
respects,  are  always  inferior  to  the  evil  of  sin.  So,  to  obtain  the 
pardon  of  our  sins,  we  must  have  a  sovereign  sorrow, — the  greatest 
of  all  sorrows — a  sorrow  which  outweighs  all  other  sorrows.  How- 
ever, you  must  observe,  that  it  is  not  in  the  sensibility,  but  in  the 
will,  that  this  sovereign  sorrow  must  have  its  seat ;  that  is,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  experience  the  same  outward  desolation  which  we 
would  feel,  were  we  stricken  down  with  a  sad  calamity  or  a  serious 
accident,  portal  sin  is,  indeed,  a  misfortune  afflicting  enough  to 
draw  tears  from  our  eyes ;  and  if  those  tears  are  sincere,  we  may 
say  of  them,  with  St.  Peter  Chrysologus  :  "Happy  tears  that  flow 
from  such  a  source  !  They  bedew  the  earth,  soften  heaven,  quench 
the  fires  of  hell,  and  blot  out  the  sentence  of  death  pronounced 
against  the  sinner."  Such  was  the  sorrow  of  David,  of  Mary 
Magdalen  and  of  St.  Peter,  who  wept  bitterly  over  their  sins.  No 
doubt,  it  would  be  a  praiseworthy  disposition  to  shed  tears  over 
our  iniquities ;  but  they  spring  from  a  sensibility  which  is  not 
always  in  our  power  ;  they  are  therefore  not  necessary.  But  what 
is  necessary,  is,  that  the  will  be  determined  to  undergo  all  kinds  of 
temporal  calamities,  rather  than  consent  again  to  one  single  mortal 
sin.  If  this  good  will, — this  firm  purpose  never  more  to  offend 
God  springs  from  the  heart,  then,  our  sorrow  for  sin  is  greater  than 
for  all  the  evils  that  could  befall  us  in  this  life ;  then,  we  appreciate 
God  as  he  ought  to  be  appreciated, — then,  we  place  God  above  all 
temporal  things  ;  then  is  our  Contrition  sovereign. 


SHORT     SERMONS. 

Let  us  not  forget  that  this  sorrow  for  sin  must  also  be  universal, 
that  is  to  say,  it  must  extend  to  all  the  mortal  sins  which  we  have 
had  the  misfortune  to  commit.  God  abhors  and  detests,  equally, 
every  mortal  sin :  we  must  therefore  do  penance  for  all,  without 
exception.  We  can  not  obtain  our  reconciliation  with  God,  if  He 
discovers  in  our  heart  a  grievous  sin  for  which  we  have  neither 
hatred  nor  regret.  Hence  the  Lord  said:  "Be  converted,  and  do 
penance  for  all  your  iniquities,  and  iniquity  shall  not  be  your 
ruin."*  And  St.  Aiigustine  adds:  "The  Lord  will  not  have  a 
divided  heart,  a  heart  only  half  converted,  which  abhors  only  some 
sins  and  remains  attached  to  others.  God  requires  a  complete 
sacrifice,  and  demands  that  the  Contrition  of  the  heart  should  extend 
to  all  sins  :  it  is  only  on  this  condition  that  we  can  obtain  our  par- 
don and  regain  the  grace  of  God."  My  Brethren,  I  have  now 
explained  to  you  the  necessity  of  Contrition,  its  qualities,  and  the 
motives  which  ought  to  excite  you  to  it.  I  beseech  you,  do  your 
utmost,  that  the  love  of  God  may  be  always  paramount  in  pro- 
ducing in  your  soul  sorrow  and  regret  for  having  committed  sin. 
Repent,  not  only  because  you  have  offended  an  omnipotent  God, 
who  punishes  the  sinner  eternally  in  hell,  but  because  you  have 
offended  a  God  infinitely  good  and  infinitely  amiable.  Endeavor 
to  love  this  God  for  the  future,  who  has  loved  you  so  much,  and 
mingle  with  your  love  a  profound  and  lively  grief  for  having 
exposed  yourselves  to  lose  His  grace.  Ask  this  Contrition  from 
your  Saviour;  He  will  not  refuse  you,  for  He  came  to  call  sinners, 
so  that  none  of  them  might  be  lost,  but  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
might  be  the  inheritance  of  all. — AMEN. 

»  Ezechiel,  xviii  :  30. 


FIRM    PURPOSE    OF    AMENDMENT.  398 


SERMON  LXXXI. 

FIRM  PURPOSE  OF  AMENDMENT. 


"Go,  and  now  sin  no  more." — ST.  JOHN,  viii:   11. 

TRUE  contrition,  which  alone  is  capable  of  obtaining  for  us  the 
pardon  of  our  sins,  regards  both  the  past  and  the  future.  The 
penitent  must  have  a  sincere  regret  for  having  offended  God,  and  a 
sovereign  detestation  of  all  the  sins  of  which  he  has  been  guilty  ; 
he  must  be  firmly  resolved  never  more  to  offend  the  Lord,  and  care- 
fully to  avoid,  in  future,  whatever  might  lead  him  into  mortal  sin 
and  cause  him  to  lose  that  grace  which  the  divine  Mercy  has 
bestowed  on  him.  It  is  on  this  good  resolution, — on  this  Firm 
Purpose  of  Amendment, — that  I  intend  speaking  to  you  to-day. 

When  you  are  in  the  tribunal  of  penance,  at  the  feet  of  the 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  is  about  to  pronounce  the  merciful 
words  of  absolution  over  you,  you  say:  "O  my  God,  I  firmly 
purpose,  by  the  help  of  Thy  holy  grace,  never  more  to  offend  Thee, 
to  do  all  that  I  can  to  atone  for  my  sins  and  amend  my  life  for 
the  future."  Such  is  the  good  resolution,  —  the  firm,  unshaken 
purpose  of  amendment,  which  the  Lord  wishes  to  see  in  your  hearts, 
before  cleansing  your  soul  of  its  stains  and  restoring  you  to  His 
friendship.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  say  :  I  am  sorry  that  I  have 
sinned,  and  with  the  aid  of  grace,  I  will  endeavor  to  correct  myself; 
this,  I  hope  to  accomplish.  The  Almighty  demands  that  you  say 
sincerely,  absolutely,  and  unconditionally  :  I  will  correct  my  faults. 
You  must  be  decided, — determined  to  avoid  sin,  despite  all  the 
charms  which  the  world  may  present  to  your  view,  despite  all  the 
pleasures  which  flesh  and  blood  may  hold  out  to  your  gratification, 
despite  all  the  snares  and  assaults  of  the  devil.  You  must  firmly 
resolve  to  resist  and  vigorously  oppose  your  passions,  to  root  out 
and  drive  from  your  hearts  all  evil  inclinations  and  criminal  habits, 
to  break  off  all  dangerous  connections,  and  fly  from  all  proximate 


394-  S  II  O  liT    S  E  RM  O  N  S  . 

occasions  of  sin.  You  must  be  firmly  determined  to  forgive  every 
one  who  has  injured  or  offended  you,  and  to  repair  the  wrong  which 
you  have  done  to  your  neighbor  in  his  goods,  in  his  reputation  or 
his  honor.  You  must  be  firmly  resolved  to  make  a  constant  use  of 
all  the  means  of  salvation  which  God,  your  confessor  and  your  own 
experience  recommend  and  suggest.  Such  must  be  your  good  reso- 
lution,— your  Firm  Purpose  of  Amendment;  and,  if  you  are  not 
determined  to  act  thus,  God  will  not  forgive  you  your  sins.  "  Let 
the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unjust  man  his  thoughts,  and 
let  him  return  to  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  on  him,  and  to 
our  God  :  for  he  is  bountiful  to  forgive,"*  says  the  prophet  Isaias. 

0  my  God,  "  I  am  heartily  sorry  for  having  offended  Thee  ;"  this  is 
what  your  lips  say  ;  but  God  hears  your  heart,  which  still  sighs 
after  the  pleasures  of  iniquity,  and  which,  in  a  voice  louder  than 
that  of  your  tongue,  says  :  I  wish  to  outrage  thee  more;  to-morrow, 

1  will  again  crucify  Thee  ! — Ah  !  if  such  be  the  dispositions  of  your 
heart,  your  sins  are  not  remitted. 

The  Father  of  mercies  loves  to  forgive  the  contrite  and  humble 
heart,  but  the  God  of  all  justice  rejects  the  prayer  of  the  impenitent 
hypocrite ;  He  will  reject  you,  for  you  have  not  the  Firm  Purpose 
of  Amendment,  —  you  have  not  contrition, —  your  sorrow  is  but 
apparent, — your  contrition  is  false.  How  can  it  in  fact  be  interior, 
since  your  heart  has  still  the  desire  and  the  wish  to  persevere  in 
sin  ?  How  can  it  be  supernatural  and  come  from  God,  since  you 
intend  to  continue  displeasing  the  divine  Majesty  ?  How  can  your 
contrition  be  sovereign,  since  you  are  still  in  love  with  the  delights 
of  sin  ?  How  can  it  be  universal,  extending  to  all  your  sins,  when  the 
resolution  of  committing  these  same  sins  is  found  to  exist  in  your 
hearts  ?  God  knows  your  dispositions, — He  sees  the  secret  recesses 
of  your  hearts, — He  sees  your  want  of  sincerity,  when  your  lips 
pronounce  the  words :  I  will  sin  no  more.  St.  Chrysostom  com- 
pares such  penitents  to  comedians,  who  personate  the  character  of 
those  in  affliction.  "They  weep,"  he  says,  "they  sigh,  they  moan, 
and  a  little  while  afterward  they  laugh  and  amuse  themselves  us 
before."  This  great  saint  adds,  "that  they  who  make  their  con- 
fession without  being  sincerely  determined  to  forsake  the  ways  of 

*  Isnias.  Iv :  7. 


FIRM    PURPOSE    OF    AM  E  N  D  M  E  N  T  .  395 

sin,  have  as  little  contrition  as  stage  actors."  But  no,  you  haye 
no  intention  to  outrage  the  Lord  thus,  and  I  perceive  in  you  some 
inclination  to  quit  the  paths  of  vice.  Yet,  my  Brethren,  this 
is  not  enough;  for  God  demands  a  firm  purpose, — a  determined 
action  and  efficacious  will.  "Go,  and  sin  no  more,"  said  our 
divine  Saviour  to  the  guilty  woman  whose  sins  He  had  just  par- 
doned; and  on  another  occasion  He  said  to  the  paralytic:  "Behold, 
thou  art  made  whole ;  sin  no  more,  lest  some  worse  thing  happen 
to  thee."* 

I  know,  my  Brethren 'and  experience  teaches  us  the  sad  truth  every 
day,  that  in  spite  of  our  good  resolutions, — in  spite  of  our  Firm  Pur- 
pose of  Amendment,  we  are  not  sure  of  sinning  no  more.  Your  good 
resolutions  will  not  render  you  impeccable,  and  you  must  be  per- 
suaded that  if  you  were  thrown  back  on  your  own  resources, — aban- 
doned to  your  own  weakness,  you  would  again  commit  sin.  But  if 
you  are  truly  penitent  when  you  present  yourselves  to  the  priest,  you 
will  have  a  will  fully  resolved  to  fly  from  sin,  and  this  is  sufficient, — 
God  requires  no  more.  Why  so?  Because,  if  you  have  this  Firm 
Purpose  of  Amendment,  you  will  distrust  your  own  weakness,  you 
will  rely  upon  the  help  of  divine  grace, — you  will  pray  fervently 
and  seek  the  most  effectual  means  to  accomplish  your  good  resolu- 
tions and  remain  faithful  to  them.  If  you  are  a  true  penitent, — if 
you  sincerely  wish  to  sin  no  more,  then  you  will  avoid,  with  the 
greatest  care,  whatever  has  hitherto  caused  you  to  fall  into  sin, — 
whatever  might  yet  entice  you  into  it;  you  will,  in  a  word,  shun 
every  dangerous  occasion  of  evil.  The  Holy  Ghost  assures  us  that 
he  who  loves  the  danger,  will  perish  in  it.  Moreover,  does  not 
experience  teach  us  that  whoever  exposes  himself  to  the  proximate 
occasion  of  sin,  conies  not  out  of  it  free  from  guilt  ?  When  a  man 
sincerely  wishes  to  attain  the  end  of  his  labors,  he  carefully  removes 
eveiy  obstacle  that  stands  in  his  way.  You  desire  to  avoid  sin  : 
criminal  connections,  that  bad  company,  those  sinful  amusements 
and  bad  books,  have  been  the  occasions  which  always  caused  you 
to  fall;  you  must  therefore  break  asunder  all  these  ties;  you  must 
free  yourself  from  them,  no  matter  how  great  the  pain  you  thereby 
experience.  God  desires, — God  commands  it.  He  who  does  not 

*  St.  John,  v  :  xiii. 


396  SHORT    SERMONS. 

try  to  avoid  the  proximate  occasions  of  mortal  sin,  is  not  resolved 
never  to  commit  it  again, — he  has  no  regret  for  past  transgressions, — 
he  has  no  contrition,  and  therefore,  God  refuses  to  extend  to  him  the 
grace  of  pardon.  And  yet  how  many  Christians  there  are,  who  come 
to  the  sacred  tribunal  of  penance,  who  solicit, — nay  even  insist  on 
receiving  absolution,  without  having  the  will  or  the  intention  of  re- 
nouncing the  occasions  which  caused  their  ruin  !  You  must  be  sober, 
and  still  you  continue  to  frequent  places  and  visit  persons  that  have  so 
often  made  you  violate  the  rules  of  temperance  !  You  must  be  chaste, 
and  yet  you  will  not  separate  from  those  criminal  connections  and 
dangerous  associations  !  You  must  be  charitable,  and  yet  you  will 
give  nothing,  or  scarcely  any  thing  to  the  poor !  You  must  serve  God 
with  greater  zeal,  and  yet  you  will  not  get  rid  of  that  bad  habit  of 
neglecting  even  your  morning  and  evening  prayers  !  You  will  not 
renounce  the  habit  of  cursing,  swearing  and  blaspheming,  nor  do 
any  thing  to  free  yourselves  from  these  horrid  crimes  !  You  tell  us 
that  you  will  sin  no  more,  and  yet  you  will  not  forsake  dangerous 
occasions !  Is  this  not  as  if  you  said :  I  do  not  wish  to  soil  my 
clothes,  and  yet  I  will  always  walk  in  the  mud ;  I  do  not  wish  to  be 
burned,  yet  I  will  cast  myself  into  the  flames  ?  No,  you  possess  not 
the  Firm  Purpose  of  Amendment, — you  have  no  desire  to  iiy  from  sin. 

Have  you  this  firm  purpose  ?  Do  you  wish  to  know  whether 
you  have  it  or  not  ?  Examine  whether  you  follow  the  advice  of 
your  confessor  even  when  he  enjoins  things  difficult ;  see  if  you 
avoid  evil  occasions,  by  making  use  of  the  means  which  he  prescribed 
for  you ;  see  if  you  seriously  labor  to  uproot  your  dangerous  or 
sinful  habits.  A  sick  man  would  surely  act  unreasonably,  who, 
desiring  to  be  cured,  would,  nevertheless,  refuse  to  take  the  medicine 
prescribed  by  his  physician. 

If  you  have  a  sincere  and  Firm  Purpose  of  Amendment,  ordinarily 
speaking,  you  will  persevere.  St.  Gregory  the  Great  says  :  to  do 
penance,  is  to  weep  over  past  sins  and  never  again  do  ought  deserv- 
ing tears.  So,  when  we  easily  relapse  into  sin,  when  we  make 
hardly  any  effort  to  avoid  it,  when  we  fall  back  into  our  old  habits 
almost  immediately  after  confession,  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared  that 
our  Purpose  of  Amendment  was  not  sincere,  that  we  have  not  been 
truly  penitent,  and  consequently  that  we  have  not  obtained  from 
God  the  forgiveness  of  our  crimes. 


FIKM    PURPOSE    OF    AMENDMENT.  397 

Do  you  understand  now  why  your  director  sometimes  refused  you 
absolution  ?  Was  it  because  you  accused  yourself  of  numerous  and 
grievous  sins  ?  No  !  but  it  was  because  he  was  prudently  convinced 
that  you  had  neither  contrition,  nor  a  Firm  Purpose  of  Amendment  ; 
that  you  would  not  sincerely  renounce  sin, — the  occasion  of  sin  and 
bad  habits ;  that  you  would  not  forgive  your  enemies ;  would  not 
restore  ill-gotten  goods ;  that  you  would  neither  follow  his  advice, 
nor  employ  the  means  which  he  pointed  out  to  you  as  necessary  for 
your  correction  and  the  amendment  of  your  life.  This  is  what  pre- 
vented the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  from  giving  you  absolution. 
You  yourself  did  not  desire  it,  since  you  refused  to  render  yourself 
worthy  of  it.  And  truly,  I  would  be  profoundly  afflicted  if  I  knew 
that  in  so  sad  a  state  of  conscience  you  were  to  meet  a  confessor, 
who,  fearing  to  appear  severe,  would  be  weak  enough  to  pronounce 
the  words  of  absolution  over  all  sorts  of  penitents,  whether  they 
had  a  Firm  Purpose  of  Amendment  or  not.  Such  as  these  damn 
both  themselves  and  their  penitents. 

I  beseech  you,  my  dear  Brethren,  every  time  you  go  to  confession, 
form  the  sincere  and  firm  resolution,  not  only  to  avoid  sin,  but  also 
to  fly  the  occasions  of  sin,  and  seriously  to  labor  in  strengthening 
yourselves  in  your  change  of  life.  No  doubt,  you  will  meet  with 
many  obstacles  from  evil  propensities  and  bad  habits  ;  no  doubt,  you 
will  still  be  tempted  to  relapse  into  your  old  sins,  to  fail  in  your 
good  resolutions  ;  but  remember  that  the  kingdom  of  God  suffers 
violence,  and  that  the  grace  of  God  is  all-powerful.  Ask  this  grace, 
through  the  intercession  of  the  blessed  Virgin  ;  she  will  obtain  it 
for  you,  and  through  it  you  will  be  strong.  Remember  that  it  is 
worth  doing  something  to  attain  the  happiness  of  heaven.  Remem- 
ber that  if  you  persevere  in  virtue,  a  great  recompense  awaits  you ; 
that,  if  you  are  faithful  to  your  firm  purposes,  you  will  be  crowned 
with  glory  in  a  happy  eternity. — AMEN. 


SHORT   SERMONS. 

SERMON  LXXXII. 
ON  CONFESSION. 


"Mercy  and  truth  have  met  each  other:  justice  and  peace  have  kissed." — 
PSALMS,  Ixxxiv :  11. 

THE  sinner  has  carefully  examined  his  conscience, — he  is  repentant, 
and  firmly  purposes  to  sin  no  more  :  is  his  sin  forgiven  him  ?  Not 
yet;  he  has  still  to  make  an  humble  Confession  of  them  to  a  priest 
lawfully  authorized  to  absolve  him.  It  is  in  the  tribunal  of  penance 
that  mercy  and  truth  meet  and  give  each  other  the  kiss  of  peace. 
Truth  proceeds  from  the  mouth  of  the  sinner,  and  the  mercy  of 
God  descends  from  heaven  and  pronounces  the  consoling  sentence 
of  absolution,  which  purifies  the  soul  from  all  its  stains  and  makes 
it  as  white  as  snow.  You  understand  that  I  intend  speaking  to  you 
to-day  of  Confession,  the  fourth  condition  necessary  for  the  worthy 
reception  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 

Confession  is  an  humble,  sincere  and  entire  accusation  of  our  sins 
to  an  approved  priest,  in  order  to  obtain  absolution  for  them  from 
him.  We  say  that  Confession  is  an  accusation,  and  not  a  simple 
declaration,  not  a  mere  recital  of  our  sins,  because  we  must  appear 
at  the  tribunal  of  penance  as  criminals  before  our  Judge,  and  act 
as  accusers  against  ourselves,  by  confessing  our  sins.  Every  priest 
has  not  jurisdiction  to  hear  our  Confession  and  absolve  us.  He 
must  be  approved  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese,  and  have  juris- 
diction to  exercise  the  "  power  of  Holy  Orders,*'  which  were  conferred 
on  him  at  his  ordination.  This  accusation  is  made  to  the  priest,  to 
"receive  from  him  absolution,"  that  is,  with  the  intention  of  obtain- 
ing from  him  a  sentence  of  mercy  and  reconciliation  with  God. 
What  goodness  !  What  mercy  on  the  part  of  our  God  !  Criminals 
appear  before  earthly  judges  to  be  condemned,  and  it  is  to  be  par- 
doned and  justified  that  the  penitent  sinner  appears  before  the  priest 
whom  Jesus  Christ  has  appointed  as  his  judge. 


'ON    CONFESSION.  399 

Confession  having  been  instituted  by  our  divine  Lord  himself,  it 
follows  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  our  reconciliation  with 
God,  to  have  recourse  to  this  means,  whenever  we  have  had  the 
misfortune  to  commit  mortal  sin,  unless  there  exist  an  impossibility 
of  going  to  Confession.  Then  an  act  of  perfect  contrition,  accom- 
panied by  the  sincere  desire  of  going  to  Confession,  obtains  our 
pardon.  Confession  has  ever  been  regarded  and  practiced  in  the 
Church  for  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years,  as  a  necessary  conse- 
quence of  the  power  of  remitting  and  retaining  sins,  which  our 
Saviour  bestowed  upon  His  Apostles  and  their  successors :  "  Whose 
sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them  :  and  whose  you 
shall  retain,  they  are  retained."*  He  therefore  wished  that  priests, 
His  vicars  on  earth,  should  be  so  many  judges,  before  whom  Chris- 
tians must  appear  to  accuse  themselves  of  all  the  mortal  sins  which 
defile  their  conscience,  that,  by  the  power  which  these  judges  have 
received,  they  may  pronounce  the  sentence  of  forgiveness,  or  refuse 
it  if  they  find  the  sinner  not  properly  disposed  to  receive  it.  Priests 
therefore  are  judges,  and,  as  such,  to  pronounce  sentence  they  must 
have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  cause  submitted  to  their  decision. 
The  penitent  then  must  give  evidence  against  himself, — he  must 
declare  his  sins  to  the  priest.  Why  so  ?  Does  he  confess  them  to 
ascertain  whether  they  can  be  forgiven  ?  By  no  means  ;  for  there 
is  no  crime,  no  matter  how  grievous,  that  can  not  be  pardoned. 
Why  then  is  he  bound  to  declare  them  to  the  priest  ?  In  order  that 
the  minister  of  God  may  know  the  number,  the  malice  and  the 
circumstances  of  his  sins  ;  that  he  may  see  what  is  the  state  of  the 
penitent's  soul ;  whether  he  truly  repents  of  his  faults,  is  willing  to 
repair  the  wrongs  he  has  done,  to  forgive  all  his  enemies,  to  amend 
his  life  ;  in  a  word,  that  he  may  be  able  to  judge  from  the  dispo- 
sition in  which  he  finds  the  sinner,  whether  he  really  deserves  pardon. 
Such  is  the  order  establised  by  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  The 
accusation  of  our  sins  is  therefore  necessary  :  it  is  an  article  of  faith, 
and  the  Church  condemns  as  a  heretic,  any  one  who  presumes  to 
deny  that  sacramental  Confession  is  by  divine  appointment  neces- 
sary for  eternal  salvation. f 

We  must  confess  our  sins ;  but  when  must  we  confess  them  ? 

*  St.  John,  xx :  23.  t  Council  of  Trent,  Seas.:  14  Con. 


•100  8HOKT    SERMONS. 

Not  only  once  a  year,  and  to  satisfy  the  ecclesiastical  precept  of 
annual  Confession,  but  every  time  that  we  find  that  we  are  in 
probable  danger  of  death,  or  on  the  point  of  exposing  ourselves  to 
death ;  every  time  also  that  we  have  the  misfortune  of  falling  into 
mortal  sin.  Oh  !  then,  my  Brethren,  let  us  go  to  Confession  as 
soon  as  we  can,  for  we  can  not  neglect  doing  so  without  exposing 
ourselves  to  become  hardened  in  evil.  "Delay  not  your  conversion 
to  the  Lord,"  says  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  uncertainty  of  life,  and 
the  advice  which  our  divine  Saviour  has  givin  us  to  hold  ourselves 
always  in  readiness,  that  we  may  not  be  surprised,  ought  to  deter- 
mine us  to  hasten  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  salutary  remedy  of 
Confession. 

"Go,  therefore,  and  show  yourself  to  the  priest,"  if  you  wish  to 
obtain  the  remission  of  your  sins  and  the  cure  of  your  spiritual 
wounds.  Go,  for  it  is  a  commandment  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Go,  and,  if  your  Confession  be  well  made,  the  priest,  who  is  your 
judge,  but  a  judge  who  understands  what  it  is  to  be  merciful  and 
compassionate,  will  pronounce  over  your  soul  the  sentence  of  grace 
and  pardon,  and  all  your  sins  shall  be  effaced ;  they  shall  be  as  if 
they  had  never  been.  But  to  obtain  this  immense  favor,  your  Con- 
fession must  be  performed  well ;  it  must  be  humble,  sincere  and  entire. 

The  sinner  must  not  be  content  with  bringing  to  the  feet  of  the 
representative  of  Jesus  Christ  a  truly  contrite  heart,  his  heart  must 
also  be  humbled.  He  must  be  humble  in  his  exterior ;  he  ought  to 
present  himself  at  the  tribunal  of  penance  in  a  decent  and  modest 
dress,  on  his  knees,  in  the  posture  of  a  culprit  supplicating  mercy. 
He  must  be  humble  in  the  manner  of  declaring  his  sins  :  he  ought 
to  abase  himself  before  God,  in  acknowledgment  of  his  misery  and 
of  the  need  which  he  has  of  the  mercy  of  the  Lord. 

Is  there,  in  fact,  any  sentiment  more  becoming  the  sinner,  than 
that  of  profound  humility  ?  What  is  he  at  the  feet  of  the  minister 
of  Jesus  Christ  ?  Is  he  not  a  criminal  at  the  tribunal  of  the  King 
of  kings,  whom  he  has  grievously  offended,  from  whom  he  implores 
mercy  and  the  pardon  of  his  sins  ?  Does  he  not  come  as  a  poor, 
sick  man,  to  expose  to  the  view  of  his  physician  the  wounds  of  his 
afflicted  soul,  and  beseech  him  to  apply  a  remedy  ?  Is  he  not  a 
man  overwhelmed  with  misfortunes,  who  comes  to  reveal  his  sad 
position  to  his  be^st  and  dearest  frrend,  and  ask  of  him  aid,  counsel 


ON    CONFESSION.  401 

and  assistance  ?  What  should  pass  in  the  heart  of  such  a  man, 
and  what  dispositions  should  he  manifest  ?  Should  he  be  proud 
and  haughty  ?  Should  he  he  cold  and  indifferent  ?  Were  he  to 
present  himself  thus,  would  he  deserve  the  pardon,  the  cure,  the 
divine  assistance  which  he  solicits  ?  Sinners,  you  have  all  offended 
the  Lord, — you  have  all  despised  the  laws  of  God, — you  have  re- 
volted against  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  heaven  and  earth, — you  have 
trampled  under  foot  the  orders  and  commandments  of  your  heavenly 
Father ;  must  you  not  therefore  humble  yourselves  in  the  presence 
of  your  Judge  ?  Must  not  the  pangs  which  proceed  from  the 
wounds  inflicted  upon  your  souls  by  sin,  wring  from  your  hearts 
sighs  of  regret  ?  And  if  you  feel  as  you  ought  the  sad  state  in 
which  sin  has  left  you,  will  not  sadness  and  grief  be  depicted  upon 
your  countenance,  when  you  go  to  deposit  the  secret  of  your  mis- 
fortunes in  the  bosom  of  your  confessor,  the  best  and  dearest  friend 
you  have  on  earth  ?  What  a  beautiful  example  of  repentance  do 
you  not  behold  in  the  publican  mentioned  in  the  Gospel !  He 
stops  at  the  entrance  of  the  temple ; — he  dares  not  advance  to  the 
altar  of  the  Lord ; — he  keeps  his  eyes  steadfastly  fixed  on  the 
earth,  deeming  himself  not  worthy  to  raise  them  toward  heaven  ; — 
he  strikes  his  breast,  and  exclaims  :  0  God,  be  merciful  to  me,  a 
sinner.* 

What  then  must  we  think  of  numberless  Christians  of  our  times, 
who  come  to  Confession  without  the  least  degree  of  humility  ;  who 
consider  it  as  a  disgrace,  as  a  degradation  to  humble  themselves  in 
the  sacred  tribunal ;  who  dread  being  recognized  as  penitents,  and 
who,  when  they  are  induced  to  perform  this  sacred  duty,  take 
special  care  that  they  will  be  seen  by  as  few  as  possible  ?  What 
must  we  think  of  those  penitents,  who,  at  the  very  moment  when 
they  ought  to  be  absorbed  in  recalling  to  mind  their  sins  and  exciting 
in  their  hearts  a  deep  sorrow  for  them,  suffer  their  eyes  to  gaze  in 
idle  curiosity  on  every  object  around  them,  who  laugh,  jest  and  joke 
with  their  neighbors,  whom  they  distract,  and  finally,  hurry  with 
scandalous  violence  into  the  confessional  ?  What  must  we  think 
of  those  penitents,  who  do  not  accuse  themselves,  but  boldly  and 
unblushingly  relate  the  history  of  their  sins,  and  demand  absolution, 


*  St.  Luke,  xviii :  13. 
34 


102  SHORT    SERMONS. 

not  as  a  favor,  but  rather  as  a  reward  of  their  insolence  ?  What 
must  we  think  of  those  penitents  who  suffer  themselves  to  get  into 
angry  disputes  with  their  confessor,  resist  his  advice,  repel  his 
counsels,  and  reject  the  penance  which  he  thinks  it  his  duty  to 
impose  upon  them,  and  tell  him  that  they  will  never  again  go  to 
Confession,  when,  for  good  reasons,  he,  in  his  wisdom  and  prudence, 
judges  it  necessary  to  defer  absolution  ?  Do  these  Christians  con- 
fess their  sins  with  humility  and  repentance  ?  Can  they  hope  that 
God  will  receive  them  into  His  favor  and  friendship  and  extend  to 
them  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins  ? 

Ah  !  my  Brethren,  if  you  wish  that  the  Sacrament  of  Penance 
should  blot  out  the  sins  that  defile  your  souls,  humble  yourselves  in 
the  presence  of  God.  Call  to  mind  what  you  have  done,  what  you 
have  lost,  what  you  were,  and  what  you  have  become.  You  have 
sinned ;  you  have  lost  the  friendship  of  God,  and  all  your  rights  to 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  you  were  children  of  God,  and  you  have 
become  the  slaves  of  Satan.  Alas  !  how  guilty  you  have  become, — 
you  who  commit  mortal  sin  !  How  deserving  of  eternal  chastise- 
ments !  But  God,  in  His  mercy,  wills  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but 
that  he  should  be  converted,  and  that  the  humble  Confession  of  his 
faults  should  efface  his  crime  and  restore  him  to  life.  Come  there- 
fore, you  who  are  laden  with  iniquity, — come  to  your  Physician, — 
come  to  the  tribunal  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  come  with  humble  and  con- 
trite hearts  ;  and,  no  matter  how  disgusting  may  be  your  disease,  no 
matter  how  deep  may  be  the  wounds  of  your  soul,  the  priest  of  God 
will  pour  upon  them  the  oil  and  wine  of  divine  grace,  and  they  shall 
be  healed.  Though  you  have  committed  the  greatest  iniquities, — 
the  most  frightful  and  execrable  crimes,  come,  make  an  humble, 
sincere  and  sorrowful  Confession  of  them, — and  all  will  be  forgiven 
you, — the  friendship  of  God  will  be  restored  to  you, — the  priest  of 
the  Most  High  will  open  to  you  anew  the  road  to  heaven. — AMEN. 


ON    CONFESSION.  403 


SEItMON  LXXXIII. 
ON  CONFESSION.— (CONTINUED.) 


"  Be  not  ashamed  to  confess  thy  sius." — ECCLESIASTICUS,  iv  :   31 . 

IN  our  last  instruction,  I  endeavored  to  convince  you  of  the 
necessity  of  Confession,  and  to  prove  to  you  that  it  is  of  divine 
institution  ;  I  told  you  that,  if  we  go  to  confess  our  sins  to  the 
priest,  it  is  because  Jesus  Christ  has  commanded  us  to  do  so  ;  that 
our  Confession  must  be  made  with  great  humility  of  heart,  because 
every  sinner  is  a  culprit,  who  comes  into  the  presence  of  God  to 
implore  His  mercy,  and  to  obtain  His  grace  and  pardon.  To-day, 
I  will  proceed  to  explain  the  other  qualities  which  should  be  found 
in  a  good  Confession.  The  Confession  must  not  only  be  humble,  it 
must  also  be  sincere  and  entire. 

What  must  you  do  to  render  your  Confession  sincere  ?  To  make 
a  sincere  Confession,  you  must  declare  your  sins  with  simplicity,  as 
you  know  them,  after  a  careful  and  serious  examination  of  con- 
science, without  diminishing,  augmenting  or  excusing  them.  You 
must  tell  things  as  they  are,  as  they  exist  in  your  mind  and  con- 
science, without  disguising  or  concealing  any  thing ;  you  must  mani- 
fest your  soul,  such  as  it  is,  to  the  view  of  Christ's  minister,  that 
he  may  grant  or  defer  absolution,  with  a  complete  knowledge  of 
your  case  and  according  to  the  dispositions  which  he  shall  recognize 
in  your  heart.  It  is  not  indeed  your  desire  to  insult  the  divine 
Mercy,  by  boldly  lying  in  the  tribunal  of  penance  ;  that  would  be 
too  frightful ;  but  you  are  afraid  lest  your  confessor  might  know 
you  too  well  :  therefore,  yielding  to  this  false  shame,  you  cloak 
yourself  up,  you  disguise  yourself,  artfully  mixing  one  thing  with 
another,  gliding  rapidly  over  what  you  are  unwilling  to  express 
fully  ;  in  a  word,  lifting  only  in  part  the  veil  which  covers  your 
conscience.  Do  not  deceive  yourself,  for  you  have  made  only  a 


404  SHORT    SERMONS. 

piecemeal  Confession,  a  Confession  imperfect  and  null ;  you  have 
not  received  pardon,  for  God  hath  said  :  "  Woe  to  them  that  are 
of  a  double  heart."* 

Instead  of  avowing  his  guilt  and  confessing  his  sin,  Adam  re- 
plied to  the  Lord  :  the  woman  whom  Thou  hast  given  me,  made 
me  eat  of  this  fruit.  Eve,  on  her  part,  cast  the  blame  on  the  ser- 
pent. Is  it  not  thus  that  you  act  in  Confession  ?  Do  you  not 
attribute  your  faults  sometimes  to  the  violence  of  temptation, 
sometimes  to  the  solicitations  of  persons  with  whom  you  have 
sinned,  or  to  the  occasions  into  which  others  enticed  you  ?  One 
man  says :  I  often  get  angry,  but  then,  I  have  a  wife  who  contra- 
dicts me  in  every  thing.  Another  says :  I  have  committed  this 
foul  sin,  but  I  could  not  help  it,  my  passions  are  so  fiery  and 
violent !  I  have  committed  such  and  such  sins,  but  it  was  because 
I  have  been  drawn  into  bad  company.  I  was  allured  into  the 
dangerous  and  fatal  occasion  of  evil.  Why  try  to  disguise  your- 
selves? Why  attempt  to  shift  the  blame  from  your  own  shoulders? 
You  gain  nothing  by  it ;  for  God  sees  the  deplorable  wound  of  your 
conscience  through  all  these  subterfuges.  The  prophet  David,  said  : 
"I  have  acknowledged  my  sin  to  Thee,  and  my  injustice  I  have 
not  concealed.  I  said  I  will  confess  against  myself  my  injustice 
to  the  Lord ;  and  Thou  hast  forgiven  the  wickedness  of  my  sin."f 
Sinners,  you  also  will  experience  the  salutary  effect  of  the  mercies 
of  the  Lord,  if  you  make  an  humble,  sincere  and  entire  Confession 
of  the  sins  which  weigh  upon  your  conscience. 

What  must  be  done  to  render  your  Confession  entire?  You 
must  accuse  yourselves  of  all  the  mortal  sins  which  you  have  com- 
mitted, and  declare  their  number  and  notable  circumstances,  especi- 
ally such  as  change  their  species. 

God  requires  that  you  should  express  the  species  of  sin,  without 
which,  your  confessor  will  not  know  the  fault  which  you  have  com- 
mitted, neither  can  he  estimate  its  gricvousness,  nor  apply  the 
proper  remedies.  For  example,  it  will  not  do  to  say  to  the  priest : 
"I  accuse  myself  of  having  committed  some  mortal  sins;"  you 
must  tell  what  are  these  mortal  sins  :  for,  who  does  not  know  that 
it  is  one  thing  to  blaspheme,  another,  and  a  very  different  thing  to 


»  Ecclesiasticus,  ii  :  14.  t  Psalms,  xxxi  :  5. 


ON    CONFESSION.  405 

steal  or  to  get  drunk  ?  But  is  it  sufficient  to  tell  what  is  called  the 
genus  or  kind  of  sin  which  you  have  committed,  as,  for  example, 
to  say  :  "I  have  sinned  against  charity  ?"  No  ;  you  must  specify 
the  act,  and  make  known  to  your  confessor  whether  it  was  by 
slander,  detraction,  calumny,  rash  judgments  or  some  other  way, 
that  you  committed  the  sin  against  charity. 

That  your  Confession  may  be  entire,  you  must  declare  "the 
number  of  times  that  you  have  committed  each  sin,"  for,  each  time 
that  you  relapsed  into  the  same  sin  you  committed  a  new  offence, 
and  you  must  bring  to  the  tribunal  of  the  confessor  your  sins  such 
as  you  know  them.  Thus,  to  say  that  you  have  committed  a  mortal 
sin  only  twice,  while  you  know,  or  you  would  have  known,  had  you 
taken  the  trouble  to  examine  your  conscience  properly,  that  you  had 
committed  it  three  or  four  times,  is  to  conceal  one  or  two  sins, — 
it  is  to  make  a  sacrilegious  Confession.  But  the  confessor  asks  the 
penitent  to  state  the  number  of  his  sins,  and  he  is  answered  :  "I 
did  it  sometimes, — not  often."  What  should  we  think  of  these 
forms  of  expression  ?  That  they  are  too  vague,  and  are  sufficien* 
only  when  we  can  give  no  more  definite  answer.  But  you  have 
fallen  so  often  into  such  a  sin,  that  it  is  impossible  to  determine  the 
number  of  your  falls ;  you  must,  then,  at  least,  state  the  length  of 
time  you  have  remained  in  the  habit  of  that  sin,  and  you  must  tell 
as  nearly  as  possible,  how  often  you  committed  it  during  the  day, 
week,  or  month. 

That  your  Confession  may  be  entire,  you  must  also  declare  aU 
the  circumstances  which  change  the  species  of  the  sin,  that  is,  those 
circumstances  which  add  to  the  malice  peculiar  to  one  sin,  a  new 
malice  of  a  different  nature.  For  example,  a  man  steals  from  a 
Church ;  this  sin,  beside  its  being  contrary  to  justice,  is  also 
opposed  to  the  virtue  of  religion,  and  is  a  sacrilege.  If  then  this 
man  should  go  to  Confession,  and  content  himself  with  saying  to 
his  confessor,  I  accuse  myself  of  having  stolen  such  an  article,  who 
does  not  see  that,  if  he  declares  the  theft,  he  conceals  the  sacrilege, 
and  that  his  Confession  is  not  entire? 

You  must  also  confess  the  notably  aggravating  circumstances, 
that  is,  those  which,  without  changing  the  species  of  the  sin,  yet 
materially  increase  its  malice.  For  example,  you  have  unfortu- 
nately stolen  fifty  cents  from  a  very  poor  person ;  it  is  evident  that 


4:06  SHORT    SERMONS. 

this  is  a  much  greater  sin  than  if  you  had  stolen  this  sum  from  a 
veiy  rich  man,  or  had  only  taken  a  few  cents. 

Finally,  that  your  Confession  may  be  entire,  you  must  declare  the 
bad  intention  with  which  you  committed  the  sin.  For  example, 
you  have  given  expression  to  a  light  detraction ;  but  by  it  you 
wished  to  awaken  evil  suspicions  in  the  mind  of  your  hearer,  and 
to  injure  considerably  the  person  against  whom  you  uttered  the 
detraction;  you  must  accuse  yourself  of  this  circumstance  in  Con- 
fession. You  must  also  accuse  yourself  of  the  sins  which  you 
suffered  others  to  commit,  while  you  could  and  ought  to  have  pre- 
vented them.  You  must  accuse  yourself  of  the  scandals  which 
you  have  given,  the  injuries  which  you  have  caused  to  your  neigh- 
bor, in  his  honor,  his  reputation  or  his  goods. 

Do  you  receive  pardon  for  a  mortal  sin,  of  which  you  do  not 
accuse  yourselves,  because,  after  due  and  sufficient  examination,  you 
did  not  remember  it  ?  Yes,  this  sin  is  remitted  with  the  others ; 
but,  if  you  remember  it  afterward,  you  are  obliged  to  mention  it  in 
your  next  Confession.  While  on  the  other  hand,  if  by  grievously 
culpable  negligence,  you  voluntarily  or  through  malice,  omit  one 
mortal  sin  in  Confession,  not  only  you  do  not  obtain  the  remis- 
sion of  the  sins  which  you  have  declared,  but  you  burden  your  soul 
with  a  new  mortal  sin,  and  you  must  repeat  the  whole  Confession, 
and  add  to  it  the  avowal  of  the  sacrilege  which  you  have  per- 
petrated. 

To  make  a  good  Confession, — you  must  then  accuse  yourselves 
of  your  sins  with  frankness,  candor  and  sincerity, — you  must  declare 
with  sorrow  all  the  mortal  sins  of  which  you  are  guilty,  without 
reserve, — without  exception. 

In  vain  may  one  say  that  he  is  ashamed  to  declare  all  his  sins ; 
this  pretext  is  null  before  God.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  sin, 
but,  when  it  is  a  question  of  obtaining  the  pardon  of  sin,  you  must 
be  above  all  shame, — you  must  go  and  accuse  yourself  to  the  priest. 
It  is  a  numiliation  which  God  imposes  upon  the  sinner, — it  is  the 
beginning  of  penance.  But  you  have  not  courage,  you  tell  me,  to 
accuse  yourself  of  this  sin.  Of  what  are  you  afraid  ?  is  it  lest  it 
may  be  divulged?  certainly  not,  for  you  very  well  know  that 
your  confessor  is  forbidden,  under  the  most  terrible  anathemas, 
ever  to  utter  a  word  of  what  he  knows  only  by  Confession.  You 


ON    CONFESSION.  407 

can  not  find  a  single  example  of  this  crime; — a  special  Providence 
watches  over  the  seal  of  Confession. 

What  then  do  you  fear  ?  That  you  might  lose  the  esteem  of 
your  director,  and  destroy  the  good  opinion  which  he  had  of  you  ? 
Do  not  believe  that  the  sins  you  have  to  declare  are  so  great  that 
your  confessor  never  heard  the  like  before ; — on  the  contrary,  be 
persuaded  that  far  more  grievous  ones  have  been  confessed  to  him. 
He  is  a  physician,  accustomed  to  see  and  examine  the  most  loathsome 
sores  ;  he  treats  with  most  gentleness  those  whose  wounds  are 
deepest ;  he  loves  them,  and  esteems  them  the  more  for  their  cour- 
age in  revealing  themselves,  and  showing  forth  plainly  the  sad  state 
of  their  souls.  He  is  a  father,  who  has  no  words  but  those  of  con- 
solation,— no  tears  but  those  of  joy  for  the  prodigal  son  whom 
grace  brings  back  to  him.  Fear  not  then, — far  from  decreasing  the 
good  opinion  your  confessor  has  of  you,  your  frankness,  your 
sincerity,  and  the  confidence  you  testify  toward  him,  touch  his 
heart,  edify  him,  and  place  you  far  higher  in  his  esteem  and  affec- 
tion. But  my  sin  is  so  shameful !  "What,"  cries  out  St.  Augustine, 
"you  were  not  ashamed  to  commit  the  sin,  why  then  are  you 
ashamed  to  declare  it.  It  is  the  devil  who  inspires  you  with  this 
shame,  fearing  lest  his  prey  should  escape  him."  What  do  you 
hope  to  gain  by  concealing  this  sin  ?  You  can  not  deceive  God, — 
He  beholds  it,  no  matter  how  deep  you  may  bury  it  in  your  soul. 
You  may  succeed  in  deceiving  the  priest,  so  that  he  pronounces  over 
you  the  words  of  absolution,  but  God  ratifies  them  not  in  heaven. 
What  then  do  you  hope  for  ?  That  later  you  may  have  more 
courage  ?  The  longer  you  defer,  1;he  more  obstacles  will  you  have 
to  surmount,  and  the  more  your  shame  will  increase.  You  are  abus- 
ing grace  :  your  heart  will  become  more  and  more  hardened,  because 
of  your  infidelity,  and  the  sacrileges  which  you  commit  by  receiving 
the  sacraments  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin.  Thus  you  will  go  on 
heaping  sacrilege  upon  sacrilege — you  will  reach  your  last  sickness, 
and  on  your  bed  of  death  you  will  still  be  ashamed  to  declare  your 
sin,  and  will  not  tell  it.  The  priest  will  ask  you,  is  there  any  thing 
more  to  be  told  ?  and  you  will  answer  :  No  !  Fatal  word, — which 
sets  the  seal  on  your  reprobation,  and  plunges  your  soul  into  eternal 
flames  !  Terrible  word  ;  I  hear  it  reechoing  along  the  infernal  vaults, 
and  see  how  it  rejoices  hell.  Miserable  man  that  you  are,  you  were 


408  SHORT   SERMONS. 

not  willing  to  declare  this  sin  and  save  your  soul,  and  now  God  is 
about  to  manifest  it  before  the  world.  For  all  eternity  you  shall 
see  this  sin, — it  will  be  seen,  engraved  on  your  heart  in  the  midst 
of  the  fires  which  shall  eternally  devour  you. 

O  my  God !  cast  a  look  of  compassion  on  those  who  hear  me, 
touch  their  hearts,  fill  them  with  compunction,  with  sincerity  and 
with  courage ; — bring  them  contrite  and  humbled  to  the  tribunal  of 
peace  and  reconciliation,  that  there  a  sincere  Confession  of  their 
sins  may  snatch  them  from  the  hands  of  the  demon,  may  place 
them  on  the  right  of  your  divine  Son,  and  render  them  happy  for- 
ever.— AMEN. 


SERMON  LXXXIV. 

ON  SATISFACTION   OR  PENANCE. 


"  Bring  forth,  therefore,  fruit  worthy  of  penance." — ST.  LUKE,  iii :   8. 

SATISFACTION  is  the  reparation  of  the  injury  \vhich  has  been  offered 
to  God  by  sin.  Considered  as  a  part  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance, 
it  consists  in  the  works  which  the  priest  enjoins  upon  the  penitent 
to  repair  the  injury  done  to  God  and  to  serve  as  a  preservative 
against  relapse.  To  obtain  the  remission  of  your  sins,  in  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance,  you  must  join  to  contrition  and  confession, 
the  will  to  perform  the  penance  or  satisfaction  which  your  confessor 
shall  see  proper  to  impose.  However,  if  you  neglect  to  fulfill  it, 
though  this  would  be  a  sin,  nevertheless,  the  effects  of  absolution 
still  subsist.  I  say  that  it  is  a  sin  not  to  perform  the  penance  im- 
posed by  the  priest,  because,  it  is  depriving  the  sacrament  of  its 
integral  part,  it  is  neglecting  the  reparation  which  God  demands. 
But  does  God  require  no  satisfaction  but  that  which  His  minister 
imposes  ?  He  also  wishes  that  the  sinner  would  do  true  penance 
during  his  whole  life.  To  teach  you  how  you  can  easily  perform 
this  penance  is  the  end  I  propose  to  myself  in  this  instruction. 

Jesus  Christ,  His  Apostles,  His  Church  and  the  tradition  of  all 


ON    SATIFACTION    OK    PENANCE.  409 

ages  tell  us  that  there  are  hut  two  ways  to  attain  heaven,  namely  : 
the  way  of  innocence  and  the  way  of  penance.  Alas  !  how  few  there 
are  who  preserve  the  precious  treasure  of  innocence,  wherewith  they 
were  enriched  at  their  baptism  !  It  was  to  us  then  that  our  divine 
Saviour  addressed  himself  when  he  said:  "Unless  you  do  penance, 
you  shall  all  perish."  But  will  it  he  sufficient  to  satisfy  God,  if  we 
confine  ourselves  to  the  avowal  of  our  guilt  and  cease  to  live  in  sin  ? 
"No,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "the  mouth  that  has  vomited  forth  blas- 
phemies does  not  repair  them  by  silence.  No  man  pays  his  debts 
by  merely  ceasing  to  contract  new  ones."  Thus,  sins  are  not  expi- 
ated,— are  not  repaired  by  simply  ceasing  to  commit  them  anew. 

What !  has  not  our  divine  Saviour  satisfied  for  mankind  by  dying 
on  the  cross  ?  Yes,  my  Brethren ;  but  to  profit  us,  the  merits  of  the 
Man-God  must  be  applied  to  us,  and  they  are  so  only  in  so  far  as  it 
pleases  God,  and  in  the  manner  and  on  the  conditions  which  He 
has  a  right  to  demand.  In  Baptism  the  application  of  the  merits 
of  the  cross  is  complete ;  every  thing  is  done  there,  in  some  manner 
at  the  expense  of  the  Saviour,  and  our  sin  is  entirely  and  immedi- 
ately blotted  out.  But  it  is  not  so  with  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 
God  desires  exceedingly  to  snatch  you  from  the  jaws  of  hell ;  but, 
because  you  have  broken  the  first  alliance,  you  must  be  punished  ; 
your  sin  is  forgiven  and  the  eternal  torments  due  to  it  remitted,  but 
there  still  remains  a  temporal  punishment  which  you  must  suffer, 
either  in  this  life,  or  in  purgatory ;  there  still  remains  the  obligation 
of  satisfying  the  justice  of  God. 

To  satisfy  God  and  discharge  the  debt  contracted  by  sin,  we  must 
take  up  our  cross,  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  follow 
Him  along  the  road  of  sufferings ;  we  must,  in  a  word,  do  penance 
by  fasting,  alms  and  prayer.  Nevertheless,  let  this  not  alarm  our 
weakness  :  I  can  assure  you  that  penance  is  practicable  in  every 
state  of  life ;  that  we  can  very  easily  make  atonement  for  our  sins, 
and  at  a  very  small  cost. — But  do  you  not  say  that  penance  must  be 
made  by  fasting,  alms-deeds  and  prayer?  I  do,  my  Brethren,  but 
it  is  a  kind  of  fasting  which  the  most  delicate,  nay,  even  sick  per- 
sons can  easily  practice  ;  it  is  a  kind  of  prayer  which  every  one  can 
adopt,  and  a  species  of  alms  which  comes  within  the  reach  of  the 
poorest  man. 

You  can  not  fast, — your  feeble  and  delicate  health  forbids  it, — 
?5 


410  SHORT    SERMONS  . 

the  toilsome  life  you  lead  will  not  permit  it.  Do  we  fast  only  when 
we  abstain  from  eating  meat  and  lessen  the  quantity  of  our  meals  ? 
No,  my  Brethren,  you  also  fast  when  you  deprive  yourselves  of 
those  things  which  flatter  your  self-love,  your  sensuality,  your 
passions  and  your  evil  inclinations.  You  practice  a  fast  most 
agreeable  to  God,  when,  through  a  spirit  of  penance  and  mortifi- 
cation, you  deprive  yourselves  of  any  thing  which,  without  being 
prohibited  or  bad  in  itself,  still  would  afford  you  some  pleasure. 
For  instance,  a  young  man  delights  in  the  society  of  some  friends. 
If  he  deny  himself  this  pleasure  through  a  motive  of  love  for  God  ; 
if,  instead  of  visiting  those  friends  on  Sunday,  he  goes  to  the  church 
and  assists  at  High  Mass  and  Vespers,  oh,  he  practices  a  fast  most 
precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, — a  most  meritorious  fast.  A 
new  fashion  springs  up,  and  this  young  girl  wishes  to  adopt  it  ; 
her  parents  permit  her,  and  even  furnish  her  with  means  to  gratify 
her  wish ;  but  through  a  motive  of  mortification  she  denies  herself 
this  gratification  :  oh,  this  privation  is  also  a  fast  most  pleasing  to 
God  and  most  meritorions.  A  man  does  you  an  injury :  it  is  in 
your  power  to  revenge  the  wrong, — to  render  evil  for  evil ;  but  you 
forgive, — you  refuse  to  seek  satisfaction  for  the  wrong  which  has 
been  done  you ;  here  again  is  an  acceptable  and  most  meritorious 
fast.  You,  poor  laborers, — who  toil  so  hard  from  year's  end  to 
year's  end,  if  through  the  spirit  of  mortification  and  love  of  God, 
you  bear  your  trials  and  toils ;  if  you  offer  to  God  the  sweat  of 
your  brow,  your  privations  and  sufferings ;  if  you  unite  them  to  the 
sufferings  and  sorrows  of  your  Saviour,  you  practice  a  fast  most 
pleasing  to  God  and  most  meritorious  !  You  desire  to  increase 
your  wealth  and  leave  your  children  a  fortuue,  but  all  your  enter- 
prises are  unsuccessful ;  beside,  sickness  and  adversity  come  upon 
you ;  the  desire  springs  up  in  your  heart  to  see  this  cross  removed, 
and  your  sufferings  ended  ;  repress  this  desire,  struggle  against  your 
impatience,  accept  the  penance  which  the  Lord,  in  His  goodness  im- 
poses, and  this  shall  be  a  most  salutary  and  most  meritorious  fast ! 
"  For  our  present  tribulation,  which  is  momentary  and  light,  work- 
eth  for  us  above  measure  exceedingly  an  eternal  weight  of  glory."* 
You  understand  now,  my  Brethren,  that  there  is  a  way  of  fasting 

*  2  Corinthians,  iv :  17. 


ON    SATISFACTION    OR    PENANCE.  411 

which  all  of  us  can  adopt  and  put  in  practice.  Let  us  see  if  it  be 
more  difficult  for  us  to  pray.  Do  we  pray  only  when  by  words  we 
praise  the  Lord,  implore  His  assistance  or  thank  Him  for  His 
mercies  ?  No,  my  Brethren  ;  prayer  is  simply  the  elevation  of  the 
soul  to  God  :  we  pray  then  when  we  refer  to  God  whatever  happens 
us  ; — we  pray  when  we  humble  ourselves  in  submission  to  His  holy 
will, — when  we  receive  with  patience  and  resignation  our  crosses, 
because  they  are  sent  by  Him  ;  we  pray  when  we  perform  our  daily 
labor  for  his  honor,  following  the  advice  of  St.  Paul:  "and 
whatever  we  eat  or  drink  or  whatever  else  we  do,  we  do  all  for  the 
glory  of  God."  And  where  is  the  man  who  can  not  pray  thus, 
many  times  in  the  day,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  most  toilsome 
work  ?  Where  is  the  man  who  can  not  discharge  the  duties  of  his 
state  in  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  and  resting  on  the  merits  of 
Jesus  Christ,  offer  them  to  God  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart  ? 
Where  is  the  mother,  who,  without  neglecting  her  household  duties, 
may  not  often,  during  the  day,  elevate  her  soul  and  heart  to  her 
heavenly  Father,  and  consecrate  to  Him  the  work  of  her  hands  ? 
Where  is  the  servant  or  working  man,  who  can  not  perform  the 
duties  of  his  station  through  love  of  God,  and  bear,  by  offering  it  to 
God  in  the  spirit  of  penance,  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day  ?  Ah  ! 
if  he  did,  he  would  pray,  and  pray  well.  Adopt  then  the  beautiful 
custom  of  elevating  your  souls  to  God  every  morning  ;  consecrate 
to  Him,  from  the  first  moment  you  rise,  your  work,  your  duties 
and  your  trials  ;  sometimes,  during  the  day,  renew  in  your  hearts 
this  good  intention,  and,  be  assured,  you  will  have  prayed  well,  and 
performed  a  most  salutary  penance. 

But  the  Holy  Ghost  says  to  us:  "Redeem  your  sins  by  alms.'* 
Can  you  do  so,  my  Brethren  ?  Yes,  you  who  are  rich  can,  and,  if 
you  fail  in  doing  so,  you  are  avaricious, — you  are  guilty  of  sin  in 
the  eyes  of  God,  and  your  sins  shall  not  be  forgiven,  for  God  par- 
dons not  the  wicked  Dives.  But  does  this  obligation  of  redeeming 
their  sins  by  alms  concern  only  the  rich  ?  No !  It  b.inds  all,  for 
all  of  us  can  fulfill  it. 

Alms-deeds  consists  not  only  in  feeding  the  hungry,  clothing  the 
naked,  and  distributing  money  to  the  needy ;  it  is  also  an  act  of 
charity,  agreeable  to  God  and  most  profitable  to  your  soul,  to 
render  a  kind  service  to  your  neighbor,  to  assist  him  either  corpor- 


412  SHORT    SERMONS. 

ally  or  spiritually,  whenever  he  stands  in  need  of  your  assistance. 
You  bestow  alms  when  you  visit  the  sick,  console  the  afflicted, 
instruct  the  ignorant,  or  when  by  your  good  example  and  charitable 
counsel,  you  seek  to  correct  the  vicious,  and  bring  back  to  virtue 
those  who  are  going  astray.  How  many  occasions  present  them- 
selves for  the  exercise  of  these  kind  offices !  God  furnishes  you 
with  many  such  opportunities  every  day,  and  the  truly  charitable 
heart  knows  well  how  to  make  use  of  them.  The  father  of  a  large, 
helpless  family  may  not  be  able  to  give  pecuniary  aid  to  his  poor 
neighbor,  whom  misfortune  has  reduced  to  want ;  but  he  can  give 
him  good  advice,  he  can  console  him  in  his  miseries,  and  perhaps  be 
instrumental  in  procuring  him  assistance  from  other  persons  more 
favored  with  the  good  things  of  this  world.  All  of  us  can  some- 
times do  good  to  our  neighbor.  A  laboring  man  may  not  be  in  a 
condition  to  give  money  to  the  suffering  poor,  but  he  can  at  least 
bestow  upon  them  his  care, — he  can  assist  them  by  working  for 
them,  by  watching  them  when  they  are  sick,  and  in  many  other 
ways  lend  them  a  helping  hand  :  he  can  give  good  example  to  his 
companions  and  contribute  to  their  edification  and  salvation  ;  he 
can  pray  for  the  unfortunate  and  recommend  them  to  others  who 
have  it  in  their  power  to  aid  and  relieve  them.  Was  I  not  right 
then  in  telling  you,  my  Brethren,  that  penance  is  easy  ?  We  may 
perform  it  at  every  step  we  take.  How  blind  then  must  be  the 
sinner  who  does  not  profit  by  so  favorable  an  opportunity  of  paying 
off  the  debts  which  he  owes  to  the  divine  Justice  !  It  is  easy  to 
fast,  easy  to  pray,  easy  to  give  alms.  If  we  wish,  all  our  pains,  all 
our  toils,  all  our  works,  all  our  tribulations  may  serve  us  as  penance 
and  satisfaction  to  God.  But  you  must  observe,  my  dear  Brethren, 
that,  to  expiate  our  sins  by  this  means,  we  must  suffer  all  and  accept 
all  with  patience  and  resignation ;  we  must  offer  all  and  unite  all  to 
the  infinite  merits  of  Jesus  Christ ;  we  must  keep  ourselves  in  the 
state  of  grace,  or  at  least  in  a  sincere  desire  of  placing  ourselves  in 
that  state  as  soon  as  possible  by  a  good  confession.  Adopting  this 
precaution,  we  can  lead  a  life  common  indeed  in  appearance,  but  in 
reality  a  holy  life,  one  which  will  satisfy  God,  expiate  our  sins, 
preserve  us  from  the  sufferings  and  pains  of  purgatory,  unite  us  to 
the  train  of  our  divine  Lord,  and  conduct  us  to  the  happiness  of 
heaven. — AMEN. 


ON    INDULGENCES.  4:13 


SERMON  LXXXV. 
ON  INDULGENCES. 


"  Whatsoever  you  shall  loose  upon  earth,  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven." — ST. 
MATTHEW,  xviii :  18. 

THE  Sacrament  of  Penance  effaces  the  sins  committed  after  bap- 
tism, and  purifies  the  soul  from  its  stains  ;  it  also  remits  the  eternal 
punishment,  but  not  always  the  temporal  punishment  due  to  sin, 
leaving  to  the  sinner  the  obligation  of  expiating  his  crimes  by  pro- 
portionate satisfaction.  Must  we  suffer  this  temporal  punishment 
in  all  its  rigor  and  in  all  its  extent  ?  No,  my  Brethren ;  the  Church, 
in  her  truly  maternal  tenderness,  comes  to  our  assistance  and  delivers 
us  from  the  burden  of  the  punishment  which  we  should  otherwise 
have  to  undergo,  either  in  this  world  or  in  purgatory ;  she  furnishes 
us  with  means  of  paying  off  the  debts  we  have  contracted  toward 
God,  and  this  means  she  offers  us  in  what  are  called  Indulgences. 
A  brief  explanation  of  these  will  form  the  subject-matter  of  our 
instruction  to-day. 

What  is  an  Indulgence?  An  Indulgence  may  be  defined  the 
remission  of  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  temporal  punishment,  which 
is  due  to  the  justice  of  God  after  the  sin  and  eternal  punishment 
have  been  remitted.  This  remission  is  granted  out  of  the  tribunal 
of  penance,  by  the  application  of  the  sacred  treasure  of  graces  of 
which  the  Church  is  the  depository  and  dispensatrix.  An  Indul- 
gence does  not  remit  sin,  not  even  venial  sin,  nor  the  eternal  punish- 
ment due  to  sin  ;  it  can  only  affect  the  punishment  to  be  suffered  in 
this  wovld  or  in  purgatory.  Indulgences  are  of  two  kinds,  partial 
and  plenary.  A  partial  Indulgence,  as  of  forty  days,  of  a  hundred 
days,  of  seven  years,  is  that  which  remits  a  part  of  the  punishment 
due  to  sin.  But  you  must  not  suppose  that  an  indulgence  of  forty 
clays  or  of  seven  years,  obtains  for  him  who  gains  it  a  liberation  of 
forty  days  or  ^of  seven  years  from  purgatory ;  it  refers  to  the 


414  SHORT    SERMONS. 

penance  which  was  prescribed  by  the  ancient,  canons.  In  the  early 
ages  of  Christianity,  public  penances,  which  sometimes  lasted  for 
many  years,  were  imposed  for  certain  sins.  Sinners  had  to  pray 
much,  to  pass  their  days  in  mourning  and  their  nights  in  watching 
and  weeping,  to  sleep  on  the  ground  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  to 
clothe  themselves  with  hair  shirts,  to  fast,  to  give  alms,  and  perform 
many  other  good  works.  This  ancient  discipline  is  no  longer  in 
force ;  still  the  justice  of  God  is  always  the  same,  and  sin  deserves 
no  less  punishment  to-day  than  it  did  in  those  early  ages.  We 
commit  many  sins  ;  to  expiate  them  we  should  do  penance  for 
many  years,  perhaps  our  whole  life  would  not  be  sufficient.  But  the 
Church,  ever  animated  and  conducted  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  grants 
us  Indulgences.  At  one  time  she  remits  a  hundred  days,  seven  years, 
or  fifty  years  of  penance  which  would  have  been  imposed  upon  us 
according  to  the  ancient  regulations  ;  and  consequently,  the  corres- 
ponding punishment  which  we  would  have  to  undergo  in  purgatory. 
At  another  time  she  opens  still  more  generously  the  treasure  con- 
fided to  her  maternal  tenderness,  and  remits  all  the  penance  which 
we  would  have  to  perform,  all  the  punishment  which  we  would  have 
to  suffer  in  expiation  of  our  sins,  after  the  eternal  guilt  had  been 
forgiven ;  such  is  the  effect  of  a  plenary  Indulgence.  The  penitent 
who  gains  the  whole  of  a  plenary  Indulgence  is  as  pure  and  spotless 
before  God  as  if  he  had  but  that  instant  been  regenerated  in  Jesus 
Christ  by  Baptism.  The  Church  has  forgiven  him  all, — she  has 
completely  freed  him  from  his  bonds,  by  virtue  of  the  supreme 
power  which  our  divine  Saviour  gave  to  Peter  when  He  said  to 
him:  "Whatsoever  you  shall  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  also  in 
heaven."* 

What  then  !  must  we  not  atone  for  our  sins  ?  Must  we  not 
satisfy  the  divine  Justice  in  some  way  ?  My  Brethren,  God  could 
demand  of  us  all  that  we  owe  Him,  even  to  the  last  farthing  ; 
but  His  infinite  mercy  permits  the  innocent  to  pay  for  the  guilty, 
and  that  the  superabundant  satisfactions  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
saints  should  turn  to  our  profit  and  diminish  our  obligations  and 
our  debts.  It  is  with  the  superabundant  merits  of  the  blessed 
Virgin  and  the  saints,  it  is  above  all,  with  the  infinite  merits  of 

*  St.  Matthew,  xvi :  19. 


ON    INDULGENCES.  415 

Jesus  Christ,  that  the  Church  pays  the  debt  which  her  children 
owe  to  divine  Justice.  This  is  the  source  whence  she  draws  the 
graces  which  she  grants  them,  the  Indulgences  which  she  distributes 
to  them.  The  satisfaction  which  our  divine  Saviour  presented  to 
His  Father,  was  of  inexhaustible  merit, — and  "  where  sin  abounded, 
grace  hath  abounded  more."*  One  drop  of  His  divine  blood  could 
have  redeemed  a  thousand  worlds,  saved  them  from  hell  and  recon- 
ciled them  to  God  ;  and  yet  all  our  Redeemer's  blood  was  shed, — 
not  a  drop  of  it  remained  in  His  veins  !  Jesus  has  therefore 
suffered  infinitely  more  than  was  necessary  for  our  redemption. 
And  what  has  become  of  these  superabundant  satisfactions  and 
merits  ?  He  himself  has  placed  them  in  the  treasury  of  His  Church, 
that  she  might  apply  them  to  us  under  the  name  of  Indulgences. 

There  has  been  and  there  is  still  on  earth  a  countless  number  of 
holy  servants  of  God,  who  have  offered  far  more  satisfaction  for  their 
faults  to  God  than  He  required  of  them.  Compute,  if  you  can, 
the  merits  and  satisfactions  of  the  numberless  holy  martyrs,  con- 
fessors and  virgins,  who,  during  so  many  ages  have  done  such  great 
things  for  God, — and  add  to  this  the  merits  and  satisfactions  of  the 
multitude  of  living  servants  of  God,  who  have  always  served  Him 
with  admirable  fidelity,  yet  who  lead  such  mortified,  penitent  lives. 
Compute,  if  you  can,  the  merits  and  satisfactions  of  a  John  the 
Baptist,  sanctified  in  his  mother's  womb ;  the  satisfactions  and 
innumerable  merits  of  the  holy  Mother  of  God,  of  Mary,  the  Queen 
of  martyrs,  of  confessors  and  of  Virgins,  who  never  committed  the 
slightest  fault,  who  suffered  so  much,  and  who,  every  hour,  every 
moment,  at  every  throb  of  her  heart,  brought  forth  works  so  agreeable 
to  God,  so  rich  in  satisfactions  ?  Well  then,  my  Brethren,  are  all 
these  satisfactions  lost?  No.  The  Church  is  the  mother  of  all  the 
saints;  she  therefore  lawfully  inherits  the  rich  treasure  of  their 
merits,  the  keys  of  which  she  confides  to  the  hands  of  the  sov- 
reign  pontiff  and  of  bishops,  that  they  may  draw  from  it  the 
spiritual  goods  which  they  impart  to  us  under  the  name  of  Indul- 
gences. It  is  then  the  satisfactions  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  saints 
that  place  us  in  the  happy  possibility  of  satisfying  God  and  expi- 
ating our  sins.  The  Church,  our  kind  mother,  acts  in  favor  of 

*  Romans,  v :  20. 


416  SHORT     SERMONS. 

those  who  can  only  with  difficulty  atone  for  their  sins  in  this  world, 
like  a  good  and  charitable  father,  who,  seeing  some  of  his  children 
overwhelmed  with  debts,  gives  them  the  money  which  his  other 
children  had  transferred  to  him,  to  dispose  of  as  he  judged  fit. 

It  is  true,  Indulgences  free  us  from  years, — from  ages  of  suffer- 
ing ;  but  is  it  the  intention  of  the  Church  to  release  us  from 
penance  ?  No,  but  to  assist  us  is  performing  it ;  therefore  she 
grants  Indulgences  only  to  sinners  who  do  every  thing  in  their 
power  to  appease  the  divine  justice  ;  she  wishes  to  supply  for  their 
inability,  and  not  to  encourage  their  negligence.  "The  Church," 
says  St.  Cyprian,  "can  use  her  clemency  only  in  favor  of  true 
penitents,  who  sincerely  endeavor  to  satisfy  for  their  sins,  and 
humbly  beg  the  Indulgences  of  the  Church  ;  such  alone  can  be 
benefited  by  the  recommendation  of  the  martyrs  and  the  Indulgence 
of  the  priests." 

To  gain  an  Indulgence,  it  is  therefore  necessary  to  be  in  the  state 
of  grace,  free  from  all  mortal  sin.  While  sin  reigns  in  your  heart, 
pardon  can  not  enter  it.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  then  that  a 
sincere  confession,  accompanied  with  true  repentance,  reestablish 
your  soul  in  the  grace  and  friendship  of  God  ;  for  an  Indulgence  can 
not  be  applied  to  such  as  remain  His  enemies.  A  plenary  Indul- 
gence remits  all  the  temporal  punishment  which  our  sins  had 
merited  for  us,  and  which  we  would  have  had  to  suffer  either  in  this 
world  or  the  next.  Surely  this  is  a  great  blessing  ;  but  to  obtain  it, 
is  it  sufficient  to  make  a  good  confession  ?  A  plenary  Indulgence 
will  efface  all  the  temporal  punishment  still  due  to  mortal  sin  when 
the  eternal  guilt  has  been  remitted  by  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  ; 
it  will  produce  the  same  effect  with  regard  to  the  punishment  which 
you  deserved  for  venial  sins,  of  which  you  repent ;  but,  if  there 
be  any  venial  faults  for  which  you  are  not  sorry,  they  are  not  par- 
doned, and  they  are  not  susceptible  of  an  Indulgence  ;  so  that,  in 
this  case,  the  Indulgence  would  not  be  plenary  in  its  application. 
There  are  few  who  gain  a  plenary  Indulgence,  because  there  are 
few  who  detest  all  their  venial  sins.  To  gain  an  Indulgence,  it  is 
necessary  that  he  who  performs  the  work  to  which  it  is  attached, 
should  have  the  intention  of  gaining  it.  It  is  therefore  good  for 
the  faithful  to  renew  every  morning  the  intention  of  gaining  all  the 
Indulgences  attached  to  the  practices  of  piety  which  they  may  per- 


ON    INDULGENCES.  417 

form  during  the  day.  And  here  let  me  remark  the  great  favor 
which  the  Church  grants  to  the  faithful  who  are  in  the  habit 
of  confessing  their  sins  every  week.  She  permits  them,  without 
making  a  new  confession,  to  gain  all  the  Indulgences  which  occur 
during  the  week,  provided  they  can  not  reproach  themselves  with 
any  grievous  faults  when  these  Indulgences  are  applied.  Finally,  to 
gain  an  Indulgence,  we  must  perform  exactly  whatever  is  prescribed 
by  the  bull  or  brief  granting  the  Indulgence,  and  we  must  perform 
it  as  it  is  prescribed ;  to  all  this  we  must  join  a  true  desire  to  satisfy 
God  for  our  sins, — we  must  keep  our  hearts  in  a  religious  and 
penitent  spirit. 

Endeavor  to  gain  as  many  Indulgences  as  you  can,  that  you  may 
participate  in  the  merits  and  satisfactions  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
saints,  that  you  may  supply  for  your  own  weakness,  and  that  you 
may  shorten  the  punishment  which  would  retard  your  eternal 
happiness.  Jt  would  be  more  perfect  still  to  gain  Indulgences 
through  a  pure  desire  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  He  may  be  glori- 
fied in  the  remission  of  your  sins  and  of  the  punishment  due  to 
them.  Would  we  not  esteem  as  foolish  the  man,  who,  loaded  with 
debts,  would  nevertheless,  refuse  to  take  advantage  of  all  just  means 
in  his  power  to  release  himself  from  them  ?  And  how  can  we  con- 
sider ourselves  wise,  if  we  neglect  to  pay  the  debts  which  we  owe 
to  God,  while  we  can  discharge  them  so  easily  ?  There  are  Indul- 
gences attached  to  the  greater  portion  of  the  pious  works  which 
we  perform,  and  of  the  prayers  which  we  say  every  day  ;  let  us 
therefore  put  ourselves  in  a  condition  to  gain  them,  if  we  wish  to 
spare  ourselves  the  intolerable  pains  of  purgatory,  and  be  the  sooner 
admitted  into  the  possession  of  eternal  happiness, — a  blessing  I  wish 
you  all. — AMEN. 


418  SHORT    SEKMONS. 


SERMON  LXXXYI. 

ON  EXTREME   UNCTION. 


"  Is  any  man  sick  among  you  ?  Let  him  bring  in  the  priests  of  the  church,  arid 
let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 
And  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick  man  :  and  the  Lord  shall  raise 
him  up :  and  if  he  be  in  sins,  they  shall  be"  forgiven  him." — ST.  JAMES,  v  : 
14,  15. 

BAPTISM  elevates  us  to  the  sublime  dignity  of  children  of  God 
and  of  His  Church,  makes  us  members  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  Confirmation,  this  Divine  Spirit 
descends  upon  us  with  the  plenitude  and  magnificence  of  His  gifts. 
The  holy  Eucharist  makes  us  so  many  sanctuaries  in  which  Jesus 
Christ  condescends  to  dwell.  Penance  restores  us  to  our  former 
dignity,  when  sin  has  deprived  us  of  it.  Such  are  the  means  of 
salvation  which  the  mercy  of  God  has  prepared  for  the  course  of 
our  lives.  But  we  must  all  one  day  die  ;  and  when  that  hour  is 
about  to  strike,  religion,  which  purified  man  at  his  entrance  into 
life,  comes  to  sanctify  him  at  his  departure  out  of  this  world,  by 
offering  him  the  Sacrament  of  Extreme  Unction,  which  is,  as  it 
were,  the  baptism  of  the  new  life  which  we  receive  at  death.  It  is 
of  this  liberating  sacrament  that  I  mean  to  speak  to  you  to-day. 

What  is  Extreme  Unction  ?  Extreme  Unction  is  a  sacrament 
instituted  for  the  spiritual  and  corporal  comfort  of  sick  persons. 
This  sacrament  is  called  Extreme  Unction,  because  it  is  the  last 
unction  which  the  Christian  receives.  The  first  unction  is  made  in 
Baptism,  the  second  in  Confirmation,  and  the  last  when  he  is 
dangerously  ill.  Though  this  word  Extreme  does  not  signify  an 
extremity  without  hope,  but  the  last  unction  which  the  Saviour 
instituted  for  the  sarictification  of  men,  yet  it  is  not  given  in  all 
kinds  of  sickness,  but  solely  when  a  person  is  perceived  to  be  in 
danger  of  death.  The  catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  speaking 


ON    EXTREME    UNCTION.  419 

of  this  sacrament,  says  :  "It  is  a  very  grievous  sin  to  defer  the  holy 
Unction  until,  all  hope  of  recovery  now  lost,  life  begins  to  ebb,  and 
the  sick  person  is  fast  verging  into  a  state  of  insensibility.  It  is 
obvious  that,  if  administered  while  the  mental  faculties  are  yet  unim- 
paired, while  reason  still  exercises  her  dominion,  and  the  mind  is 
still  capable  of  eliciting  acts  of  faith  and  of  directing  the  will  to 
sentiments  of  piety,  the  sacrament  must  contribute  to  a  more 
abundant  participation  of  the  graces  which  it  imparts." 

When  was  it  that  our  divine  Saviour  instituted  this  sacrament  ? 
It  is  generally  believed  that  He  instituted  Extreme  Unction,  im- 
mediately after  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  and  a  little  while  before 
His  Ascension.  However  this  may  be,  the  Apostle  St.  James  has 
made  known  to  us  the  institution  of  this  sacrament,  when  he  said : 
"  Is  any  man  sick  among  you?  Let  him  bring  in  the  priests  of  the 
Church,  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil,  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord :  And  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  "sick 
man  :  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up  :  and  if  he  be  in  sins,  they 
shall  be  forgiven  him."  Obedient  to  this  precept,  the  Church,  since 
her  establishment  in  the  world,  has  never  ceased  to  make  use  of  this 
sacrament. 

According  to  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  two  things  are  essential 
to  Extreme  Unction,  and  constitute  its  matter  and  form  ;  these  are 
the  unction  and  the  prayer  which  accompanies  it.  The  unction  or 
anointing  is  made  with  oil  of  olives,  which  the  bishop  consecrates  on 
Holy  Thursday.  The  holy  oil  is  applied  to  each  of  the  principal 
members  of  the  sick  person,  to  purify  them  from  the  sins  of  which 
they  have  been  the  organs  and  the  instruments.  While  anointing, 
the  priest  pronounces  this  prayer :  "May  the  Lord  by  this  unction, 
and  by  His  most  tender  mercy,  forgive  you  whatever  evil  you  have 
done  by  your  sight,  by  your  smell,  and  by  your  other  senses." 
How  powerful  and  efficacious  is  this  prayer,  since  the  Lord  has 
promised  that  He  will  always  hear  it !  We  ought  therefore  to 
return  the  most  lively  thanks  to  the  goodness  of  our  divine  Saviour, 
who  has  bestowed  upon  us  this  precious  gift !  But,  alas  !  how  few 
are  there  who  testify  by  their  conduct  a  proper  esteem  and  respect 
for  this  august  sacrament !  On  the  contrary,  many  Christians  seem 
to  dread  the  idea  of  receiving  it,  when  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ 
deems  it  necessary  to  administer  it  to  them.  And  why  ?  Simply 


4:20  SHORT    SERMONS. 

because  they  are  ignorant  of  the  salutary  effects  which  this  sacra- 
ment produces. 

Among  these  effects,  there  is  one  of  great  value,  and  of  which 
St.  James  speaks.  He  hesitates  not  to  assert  that  this  sacrament 
blots  out  sins.  If  the  sick  man  "  be  in  sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven 
him."  Yes,  Extreme  Unction  remits  venial  sins  ;  but  does  it  also 
efface  mortal  sins  ?  Listen  attentively  to  what  I  am  about  to  say, 
and  give  thanks  for  it  to  the  infinite  goodness  of  God.  Without 
doubt,  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  is,  after  Baptism,  the  source 
whence  God  requires  that  we  should  seek  the  remission  of  our  sins 
and  the  grace  of  reconciliation ;  for  this  reason,  this  sacrament, 
when  it  can  be  received,  should  precede  Extreme  Unction :  yet,  it 
may  happen  that  a  person,  after  having  received  absolution  and 
communion,  falls  into  a  mortal  sin,  of  which  he  is  not  aware,  and 
which  he  consequently  will  not  confess  ;  it  is  possible  that  he  may 
have  received  absolution  and  communion  in  a  bad  state,  and  yet  be 
ignorant  of  it :  in  this  case,  if  he  receive  Extreme  Unction  with  a 
sincere  sorrow  for  his  sins,  and  if  he  place  no  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  this  sacrament,  he  receives  the  remission  of  his  faults  as  an  effect 
proper  to  Extreme  Unction,  which  has  been  instituted  for  this  end 
by  our  bountiful  Saviour.  Hence  this  sacrament  is  called  by  the 
holy  fathers  the  supplement  and  complement  of  penance. 

Extreme  Unction  effaces  the  residue  of  sin.  But  what  do  you 
understand  by  the  residue  of  sin  ?  It  is  the  temporal  punishment 
which  the  sinner  has  to  undergo  in  this  world  or  in  the  next,  in 
expiation  of  his  mortal  sins  already  pardoned,  and  of  his  other 
lighter  faults.  Extreme  Unction  delivers  the  sick  person  from 
them,  but  in  proportion  to  the  dispositions  with  which  this  sacra- 
ment is  received.  The  residue  of  sin  is  also  a  certain  sluggishness, 
a  kind  of  disrelish  for  good, — a  want  of  application  and  fervor  for 
the  things  of  God, — a  certain  languor,  which  results  from  the  disease 
of  the  soul ;  Extreme  Unction  cures  us  of  all  these  and  blots  out 
whatever  may  be  sinful  in  them. 

Another  effect  which  Extreme  Unction  produces,  is,  that  it  gives 
us  the  grace  of  consolation,  causes  abundant  blessings  to  descend 
into  our  hearts,  strengthens  us  to  die  well,  some  with  joy,  others  in 
tranquillity  and  peace,  or,  at  least,  without  trouble  and  discourage- 
ment. It  clothes  the  sick  person  with  an  invincible  power  to 


ON    EXTREME    UNCTION.  421 

overcome  the  tempter ;  it  imparts  to  the  soul  of  the  dying  the  hope 
of  eternal  rewards  ;  it  strips  death  of  its  terrors  and  transforms  it 
into  an  angel  of  heaven,  summoning  us  from  the  miseries  of  this 
world  and  transplanting  us  into  the  abodes  of  ineffable  delights. 
Listen  to  those  beautiful  words  of  the  Council  of  Trent:  "At  the 
same  time  that  the  external  unction  is  applied  to  the  afflicted  mem- 
bers of  the  sick  man,  the  interior  unction  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
infused  into  his  soul,  comforting  him,  consoling  him,  and  giving 
him  strength  to  bear  the  rigors  of  his  sickness,  by  exciting  in  him 
a  great  hope  and  confidence  in  the  divine  mercies."  Whence,  in 
fact,  does  it  come,  that  this  fond  husband,  so  soon  to  be  torn  from 
the  wife  whom  he  loves  with  the  tenderest  affection,  bears  his 
separation  with  such  calmness  and  patience  ?  How  is  this  good 
father  able  to  give  his  last  blessing  to  his  dear  children  with  so 
much  resignation  ?  Where  has  that  poor  sinner,  lately  so  tormented 
by  the  pains  of  remorse, — where  has  he  found  such  peace  and  tran- 
quillity that  he  seems  to  be  replenished  with  consolations  ?  Oh  ! 
the  holy  oil  of  Extreme  Unction  has  fortified  them,  and  enabled 
them  to  become  thus  triumphant  in  the  combat  against  impatience, 
against  the  regret  which  might  naturally  arise  from  the  breaking  of 
the  bonds  which  bind  them  to  life,  and  against  the  terrors  of  death 
and  its  consequences.  They  are  marked  with  the  cross  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  inexhaustible  source  of  consolations  and  of  graces :  they 
feel  and  experience  the  truth  of  the  promise  made  them  by  their 
blessed  Lord,  when  He  said  :  "Come  to  me  all  you  who  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden  and  I  will  refresh  you."  Yes,  my  Brethren,  the 
ministers  of  the  living  God,  who  are  so  often  called  to  the  death- 
beds of  His  servants,  can  assure  you  that  Extreme  Unction  really 
produces  in  the  souls  of  such  as  receive  it  worthily  all  these  salutary 
effects  and  wonderful  changes. 

How  greatly  then  are  those  Christians  to  be  pitied,  who  fear  this 
sacrament  so  much,  that  all  kinds  of  artifices  must  be  resorted  to, 
to  induce  them  to  receive  it !  Can  we  have  recourse  too  soon  to 
consolations  so  necessary  in  that  state  when  the  world  is  about  to 
forsake  us,  and  friends  and  relations  are  powerless  to  comfort  us  ? 
But  perhaps  you  regard  this  sacrament  as  the  forerunner  of  death. 
You  are  in  error  if  you  do.  Our  blessed  Lord  instituted  it  not  to 
hasten  your  death,  but  to  hasten  your  cure.  If  God  judges  that 


422  SHORT    SERMONS. 

the  recovery  of  health  will  conduce  to  your  salvation  ;  if  the  pro- 
longation of  your  life  will  contribute  to  your  own  sanctification  and 
the  divine  glory,  the  effect  of  the  sacrament  will  certainly  be  to 
drive  away  your  disease,  and  cure  you.  But,  if  you  have  recourse 
to  this  sacrament  only  when  your  life  is  despaired  of,  is  it  not  a 
tempting  of  God  to  expect  your  cure  from  Him  then  ? 

How  good  Thou  art,  0  my  God !  to  show  such  mercy  to  us  at 
the  very  time  we  are  about  to  appear  before  Thy  justice !  Permit 
not,  0  Lord,  that  we  pass  out  of  life  without  the  benefit  of  this 
sacrament.  We  do  not  wish  to  neglect  any  of  the  graces  which 
Thy  paternal  bounty  has  prepared  for  us,  and  we  shall  endeavor  to 
merit,  by  a  truly  Christian  life,  the  favor  which  we  implore  from 
Thy  mercy.  From  this  moment  we  conjure  Thee  to  grant  us  at  the 
hour  of  death,  the  spirit  of  faith,  of  prayer,  of  penance  and  of 
compunction  which  should  accompany  the  reception  of  Extreme 
Unction.  May  Thy  mercy  pardon  us  all,  0  my  God  !  that  Thy 
supreme  justice  may  discover  nothing  to  punish  in  our  souls, — so 
that  dying  in  Thy  arms  the  death  of  the  just,  we  may  live  eternally 
with  Thee. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LXXXVII. 

HOLY  ORDERS. 


"Let  a  man  so  look  upon  us  as  the  ministers  of  Christ,  and  the  dispensers  of 
the  mysteries  of  God." — 1  CORINTHIANS,  iv  :  1. 

IT  was  not  sufficient  for  the  love  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to 
have  regenerated  man  in  Baptism,  to  have  fortified  and  strengthened 
him  in  the  faith  by  Confirmation,  to  feed  him  with  the  bread  of 
angels  in  the  holy  Eucharist,  to  wash  him  from  all  the  stains  of 
sin  in  Penance,  and  to  sanctify  his  departure  out  of  this  world  by 
Extreme  Unction.  Our  loving  Lord  wished  to  establish  other 
sacraments,  to  sanctify  the  two  principal  states  of  the  world, 
namely  :  the  state  of  priesthood  and  that  of  matrimony.  We  have 


HOLY    OKDKKS.  423 

yet  to  explain  these  two  .sacraments,  and  to-day  I  shall  speak  of 
the  first  of  them, — Holy  Orders. 

What  the  prophets  had  long  before  announced,  Christ  came  to 
accomplish.  He  came  to  found  a  new  kingdom,  to  promulgate  a 
new  law,  to  institute  a  new  sacrifice,  and  consequently,  a  new  priest- 
hood. Under  the  ancient  law,  the  tribe  of  Levi  alone  was  called 
by  the  Lord  to  exercise  the  functions  of  the  priesthood,  and  to  offer 
to  God  the  sacrifices  appointed  by  the  Jewish  religion.  So,  under 
the  law  of  grace,  it  is  not  granted  to  all  the  faithful  to  be  elevated 
to  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood  and  to  be  invested  with  the  powers 
necessary  to  exercise  the  sacred  functions.  According  to  the  order 
established  by  our  Saviour,  those  alone  can  offer  sacrifice,  who  have 
received  a  special  vocation  from  God,  and  who  have  been  especially 
consecrated  for  these  sublime  functions  by  the  reception  of  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Orders. 

Holy  Orders,  therefore,  is  a  sacrament  which  gives  power  and 
grace  to  exercise,  in  a  hojy  manner,  the  ecclesiastical  functions. 
These  functions  are  important,  holy  and  sublime;  therefore,  the 
Church  requires  that  those  who  aspire  to  them  should  make  a  long 
previous  preparation,  should  receive  several  minor  Orders,  and  only 
reach  by  degrees  the  high  dignity  of  the  priesthood.  The  first  step 
toward  the  sanctuary  is  the  reception  of  tonsure.  The  prince  of 
the  Apostles,  St.  Peter,  instituted  this  holy  ceremony  in  memory 
of  our  blessed  Lord's  crown  of  thorns,  that,  what  had  served  in  the 
hands  of  the  wicked  as  a  humiliation  and  torment  to  Jesus  Christ, 
might  become  for  the  Apostles  a  sign  of  honor  and  of  glory.  This 
tonsure,  or  shaving  of  the  crown  of  the  head,  reminds  the  ministers 
of  the  Church,  that  having  renounced  the  world,  they  belong  hence- 
forward specially  to  God,  are  consecrated  to  His  service,  and  must 
henceforth  live  only  for  their  divine  Master. 

Having  received  tonsure,  the  candidate  for  the  ministry  goes  on 
step  by  step  through  the  four  minor  Orders,  until  he  reaches  the 
Holy  Orders,  which  consecrate  him  irrevocably  to  the  service  of  the 
altar.  He  becomes  a  sub-deacon,  that  is  to  say,  he  is  called  to  serve 
the  deacon  at  the  altar.  If  he  be  admitted  to  deaconship,  he  re- 
ceives the  power  of  serving,  on  solemn  occasions,  the  priest  during 
the  celebration  of  the  divine  mysteries  and  of  singing  the  Gospel. 
In  fine,  the  deacon  receives  the  third  Holy  Order,  in  which  this 


424:  SHORT    SERMONS. 

sacrament  properly  consists,  and  is  made  a  priest  of  the  Lord.  It 
is  the  office  of  the  priest  to  preside  over  the  assemblies  which  are 
held  in  the  Church  to  render  to  God  the  worship  that  is  due  to 
Him;  it  is  the  priest  who  consecrates  the  bread  and  wine  and 
changes  them  into  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ;  it  is  the 
priest  who  receives,  by  the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Orders,  the  power 
of  judging  consciences,  of  remitting  or  retaining  sins,  of  adminis- 
tering most  of  the  sacraments,  of  preaching  the  word  of  God  to 
the  faithful,  of  explaining  to  them  the  truths  of  religion  and  of 
blessing  persons  and  things.  If  the  priest  be  elevated  to  the 
dignity  of  the  Episcopacy,  he  receives  the  plenitude  of  the  priest- 
hood. Bishops  are,  by  divine  right,  superior  to  priests.  The  Holy 
Ghost  has  appointed  them  to  govern  the  Church,  and,  as  it  belongs 
to  them  to  ordain  the  inferior  clergy,  they  have  jurisdiction  over 
them.  All  bishops  are  equal  among  themselves  as  to  the  power  of 
Orders,  which  was  given  by  Jesus  Christ,  at  the  same  time,  and  in 
the  same  measure  to  the  Apostles,  whose  successors  the  bishops  are. 
But  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  has  the  primacy, 
not  only  of  honor  and  precedence,  but  also  of  authority  and  juris- 
diction over  all  the  other  bishops.  All  are  subject  to  his  keys,  both 
pastors  and  flocks.  Bishops  are  pastors  with  regard  to  the  flocks 
confided  to  their  care,  but  they  are  sheep  with  respect  to  the  pope, — 
with  respect  to  Peter. 

Who  can  tell  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood  and  the  greatness  of 
the  priest  ?  The  first  man  was  great,  because  God  had  appointed  him 
king  of  the  whole  universe  ;  Moses  was  great,  when,  by  one  word, 
he  separated  the  waters  of  the  sea.  Josue  was  great,  when  he  said 
to  the  sun:  "  Stay  thy  course  !"  and  the  sun  stood  still.  But,  my 
Brethren,  there  is  one  still  greater, — there  is  a  man,  who,  every  day 
opens  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  addressing  himself  to  the  Son  of 
the  Eternal  God,  says  to  Him  :  "  Descend  from  Thy  throne,  come, 
that  I  may  place  Thee  where  I  wish,  that  I  may  give  Thee  to  whom 
I  please,  that  I  may  immolate  Thee  to  Thy  Father  !"  and  He  comes, 
this  Omnipotent  God  comes  to  become  incarnate  in  the  hands  of 
this  man  and  to  obey  his  voice.  This  man  is  the  priest.  He  is 
truly  all-powerful  in  heaven, — he  is  all-powerful  on  earth.  A  man 
has  fallen  into  sin, — into  the  chains  of  Satan;  what  power  can 
deliver  him  ?  Angels  can  not ;  the  ever  glorious  Mary,  Mother  of 


HOLY    OEDEES.  425 

God  and  Queen  of  angels  and  of  men,  can  pray  for  the  unfortunate 
wretch,  but  she  can  not  absolve  him  from  his  slightest  fault.  But 
the  priest  speaks,  and  his  chains  are  broken  ;  he  says  :  "I  absolve 
thee,"  and  his  sins  are  blotted  out  forever.  Thus,  the  priest, 
powerful  as  God  himself,  can,  in  an  instant,  snatch  the  sinner  from 
hell,  and  render  him  worthy  of  heaven  ;  God  himself  is  obliged  to 
abide  by  the  judgment  of  His  minister,  and  to  refuse  or  grant  for- 
giveness according  as  the  priest  refuses  or  grants  absolution,  for 
Jesus  Christ  has  said  to  priests  :  "  Whatsoever  you  shall  bind  upon 
earth,  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven,  and  whatsoever  you  shall  loose 
upon  earth,  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven."*  How  great  the  power ; 
how  exalted  the  dignity  of  the  priest !  He  is  a  man  more  than 
angelic,  since  his  ministry  truly  elevates  him  above  the  angels ;  he 
is  a  divine  man,  since  a  God  obeys  him.  O  venerable  dignity  !  I 
am  not  astonished  to  find  at  the  Council  of  Nice,  the  master  of  the 
world,  the  great  Emperor  Constantine,  unwilling  to  occupy  any  but 
the  last  place,  one  below  the  humblest  priest  in  the  assembly,  and 
refusing  to  take  his  seat  until  he  had  obtained  their  permission. 
How  profound  then  should  be  your  respect  for  the  priests  of  the 
Lord !  and  what  gratitude  should  you  not  testify  toward  them  ! 

The  good  priest,  by  his  prayers,  by  his  instructions  and  by  his 
charity,  is  your  greatest  benefactor. 

In  the  contest  for  eternal  life  you  have  powerful  enemies  to  con- 
tend with  ;  the  Apostle  tells  you,  that  it  is  not  against  enemies  of 
flesh  and  blood  you  have  to  struggle,  but  against  the  principalities 
of  hell,  and  you  are  withal  so  weak  !  Who  then  shall  render*  you 
strong  and  give  you  the  victory?  Every  day,  and  many  times 
every  day,  the  prayer  of  the  priest  ascends  to  heaven,  and  returns 
loaded  with  graces  for  you,  full  of  strength  and  succor.  It  is  this 
prayer  which  infuses  into  your  heart  courage  and  energy,  and  puts 
to  flight  your  enemies.  Every  day,  numberless  sins  all  over  the 
world  excite  the  anger  of  God.  In  His  just  wrath  He  would  strike 
you  for  your  share  in  them,  if  it  were  not  that  the  priest  offers 
to  Him  the  adorable  sacrifice  of  propitiation,  the  divine  Victim, 
that  appeases  His  anger  and  averts  from  your  heads  His  eternal 
vengeance. 


*  St.  Matthew,  xviii:  18. 
36 


426  SHORT    SERMONS. 

It  is  the  priest  who  has  destroyed  the  empire  of  error  in  this 
world  ;  to  him  Jesus  Christ  has  given  the  commission  to  teach  all 
truths  to  all  nations  ;  from  his  lips  we  learn  true  science, — the 
science  of  salvation.  What  is  man  ?  Whence  does  he  come  ? 
He  knows  not.  Whither  does  he  go  ?  He  knows  not.  What 
road  must  he  take  ?  What  duties  has  he  to  fulfill  ?  What  does 
he  owe  to  God  ?  What  is  his  destiny  ?  Man  knows  nothing  of 
all  these  things.  Is  he  then  condemned  to  live  in  this  dreadful 
state  of  uncertainty  and  doubt  ?  Yes,  if  religion  come  not  with 
her  divine  light,  to  dispel  the  clouds  of  darkness  that  hang  over 
his  mind.  But  the  priest  is  there ;  as  a  faithful  guide,  he  comes 
to  take  you  by  the  hand  from  your  very  childhood ;  to  point  out  to 
you  the  road  you  have  to  travel ;  to  fill  your  minds  and  your  hearts 
with  the  knowledge  and  love  of  truth  ;  to  disclose  to  you  heaven, 
and  tell  you  that  your  destiny  here,  is  to  render  yourselves  worthy 
of  a  place  in  that  house  of  your  heavenly  Father. 

The  priest  loves  you :  he  understands  better  than  any  one  else 
those  words  of  our  Lord  :  "  love  one  another  as  I  have  loved  you  ;" 
and,  in  his  heart  he  preserves  toward  you  the  affectionate  sentiments 
which  filled  the  heart  of  the  good  Shepherd  of  our  good  Jesus, 
whose  representative  and  vicar  he  is  among  you.  You  are  ever 
present  to  his  mind ;  he  rejoices  with  you ;  he  shares  your  sorrows, 
your  disgrace  and  your  miseries,  and  he  endeavors,  by  every  means 
at  his  command,  to  mitigate  them  ;  he  makes  himself  all  to  all, 
because  he  loves  you  all,  and  because  he  wishes  to  gain  you  all  to 
ChiTst, — to  make  you  all  happy.  Therefore,  he  makes  himself  the 
guide  of  childhood,  to  preserve  its  innocence  ;  the  charitable  censor 
of  youth,  the  counselor  of  manhood,  and  the  consoler  of  old  age. 
This  good  pastor  cordially  loves  his  flock,  he  preaches  to  them, 
instructs  them,  exhorts  them ;  he  is  instant  in  season,  and  out  of 
season,  he  reproves,  entreats,  rebukes  with  all  patience  and  doctrine  ;* 
if  he  is  sometimes  severe,  it  is  his  fatherly  care  and  love  that  makes 
him  so  ; — as  for  the  rest,  were  it  necessary,  he  would  gladly  lay 
down  his  life  for  his  flock. 

My  Brethren,  acknowledge  the  grandeur  and  dignity  of  the  priest ; 
learn  to  appreciate  the  good  that  he  is  called  on  to  perform  among 

*  2  Timothy,  iv :  2. 


ON    THE    SACJiAMENT    OF    MATKIMONY.  427 

you  and  the  love  which  he  bears  you.  Respect  him  as  the  ambassa- 
dor of  Jesus  Christ,  honor  him  a^the  minister  of  the  thrice  holy 
God,  love  him  as  a  friend,  as  a  brother,  as  a  father.  He  prays  for 
you,  pray  also  for  him,  that  he  may  be  always  a  good,  wise,  pru- 
dent, and  enlightened  pastor,  to  guide  you,  and  go  with  you  to  the 
sovereign  Pastor  of  souls,  to  that  happy  land  where  joy  everlasting 
reigneth. — AMEN. 


SERMON  LX XX VI II. 

ON  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  MATRIMONY. 


"  This  is  a  great  sacrament :  but  I  speak  in  Christ  and  in  the  Church." — 
EPHESIANS,  v :  32. 

GOD  himself  instituted  marriage,  when,  having  created  Adam 
and  Eve,  He  said  to  them:  "Increase  and  multiply,  and  fill  the 
earth."  Adam  received  his  companion  from  the  hands  of  the 
Lord,  and  pronounced  these  mysterious  words  :  "This  now  is  bone 
of  my  bones,  and  flesh  of  my  flesh.  .  .  .  Wherefore  a  man  shall  leave 
father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife :  and  they  shall  be 
two  in  one  flesh."*  Marriage  therefore,  is  a  holy  union,  which  God 
established  in  the  world,  and  which  Jesus  Christ  was  pleased  to 
elevate  to  the  dignity  of  a  sacrament.  This  is  what  the  Council  of 
Trent  has  decided  in  these  words:  "Matrimony,  in  the  Evangelical 
law,  is  more  excellent  than  the  ancient  marriages,  on  account  of  the 
grace  which  it  confers  through  Jesus  Christ ;  it  is  with  reason  there- 
fore, that  the  holy  fathers,  the  councils,  and  the  universal  tradition 
of  the  Church  have,  in  every  age,  taught  that  it  is  rightly  numbered 
among  the  sacraments  of  the  new  law.f  Pay  attention  to  me 
now,  while  I  speak  to  you  of  this  sacrament,  which  the  Apostle 
calls  great. 

*  Genesis,  ii :  23,  24.  t  Session  24. 


4:28  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Matrimony  is  a  sacrament  sanctifying  the  union  of  man  and 
woman,  and  giving  them  grace^  to  rear  up  their  children  in  the  love 
and  fear  of  God.  Many  holy  fathers  think  that  this  sacrament  was 
instituted  by  Jesus  Christ  when  "He  assisted  at  the  marriage  feast 
in  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  He  blessed  and  sanctified  not  only  the 
marriage  which  was  there  contracted,  but  marriage  in  general. 
However  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  the  Apostle  St.  Paul 
reveals  to  us  the  institution  of  the  Sacrament  of  Matrimony,  when 
he  calls  it  a  "great  sacrament  in  Jesus  Christ  and  in  the  Church," 
that  is,  a  sacred  sign  of  the  bond  which  unites  Jesus  Christ  to  the 
Church,  His  spouse. 

Such,  indeed,  my  Brethren,  is  the  glorious  privilege  of  Christian 
marriage,  that  it  represents  the  union  of  the  Saviour  with  His  Church. 
As  Jesus  Christ,  the  only  Son  of  the  heavenly  Father,  descended 
from  heaven  to  unite  himself  to  the  Church,  so  the  husband  leaves 
his  father  and  mother  to  unite  himself  to  his  wife:  The  Church 
has  been  formed  from  Jesus  Christ,  dead  on  the  cross :  woman  has 
been  formed  from  man  while  he  slept.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head  of 
the  Church,  the  husband  is  the  head  of  the  wife.  Jesus  Christ 
protects,  directs  and  conducts  the  Church  to  heaven  ;  the  husband 
must  be  the  protector, — the  guide  of  his  wife  ;  he  must  show  her 
the  road  to  heaven,  but  far  more  by  his  example  than  by  his  words. 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  Church  constitute  but  one, — one  and  the 
same  spirit  animates  them  ;  man  and  woman  are  but  one  and  the 
same  flesh, — one  and  the  same  spirit  ought  to  animate  them. 
Jesus  Christ  tenderly  loves  His  Church,  but  He  loves  her  in  view 
of  her  eternal  happiness,  and  the  Church,  on  her  part,  respects 
her  divine  Spouse,  and  preserves  inviolable  fidelity  toward  Him  ; 
in  like  manner,  the  husband  should  love  his  wife,  but  in  view 
of  her  salvation ;  and  the  wife  should  respect  her  husband  and 
preserve  invincible  fidelity  to  him.  Jesus  Christ  is  inseparably 
united  to  the  Church;  in  like  manner,  the  union  which  exists 
between  the  husband  and  the  wife  is  indissoluble,  one  which  death 
alone  can  sever. 

It  is  thus,  my  Brethren,  that  our  divine  Saviour,  by  elevating 
marriage  to  the  dignity  of  a  sacrament,  has  made  it  the  image  and 
the  sacred  sign  of  a  great  mystery,  of  his  intimate  and  eternal 
union  with  His  Church,  and  He  has  been  pleased  that  it  should 


ON    THE    SACRAMENT    OF    MATRIMONY. 

become  a  source  of  spiritual  blessings  for  tbose  who  receive  it  with 
Christian  dispositions.  It  is  a  certain  truth  that  those  who  many 
after  having  consulted  God,  and  with  motives  which  God  can 
approve,  receive,  by  virtue  of  this  sacrament,  sanctifying  grace, 
which  greatly  augments  the  sanctity  of  their  souls,  and  along  with 
this,  numerous  efficacious  succors  which  help  them  to  fulfill  their 
holy  duties,  to  live  in  piety  and  peace,  to  bear  with  patience  the 
troubles  of  this  life,  and  to  rear  up  in  a  Christian-like  manner, 
and  in  the  practice  of  virtue,  the  children  whom  God  may  give 
them. 

If,  my  Brethren,  now-a-days  there  are  many  Christians,  who, 
receiving  this  sacrament,  do  not  experience  these  happy  effects ;  if 
they  live  together  in  trouble  and  enmity ;  if  they  are  troubled  and 
impatient,  in  the  midst  of  the  cares  and  annoyances  inseparable 
from  marriage  ;  if  they  find  themselves  unable  to  make  their  child- 
ren wise  and  virtuous ;  if  they  neglect  them,  and  abandon  them 
to  their  evil  inclinations ;  if,  in  a  word,  they  render  them  miserable 
both  for  time  and  eternity,  let  them  attribute  this  misfortune  to 
themselves  alone.  Be  satisfied  that  these  evils  have  come  upon 
them,  because  they  entered  the  marriage  state  without  having  been 
called  thereto  by  God  ;  they  have  received  this  sacrament  with  bad 
dispositions  ;  they  have  refused  to  cooperate  with  the  divine  grace, 
or  have  rendered  themselves  unworthy  of  it  by  actions  which  God 
condemns,  and  which  sully  the  union  that  they  have  contracted  at 
the  foot  of  His  altars. 

Is  marriage  necessary  ?  It  is  necessary  to  perpetuate  the  human 
race;  it  is  necessary  to  give  children  to  the  Church  and  saints  to 
heaven.  Here  you  see  the  reason  why  our  Lord  raised  this  natural 
contract  to  the  dignity  of  a  sacrament.  But  all  are  not  obliged  to 
receive  it.  The  Apostle  St.  Paul  tells  us  that  "he  that  giveth  his 
virgin  in  marriage,  doeth  well ;  and  he  that  giveth  her  not,  doeth 
better."*  It  is  certain  that  our  Lord  elevated  virginity  above 
Matrimony  ;  but  all  are  not  called  to  this  perfection,  and  each  one 
must  follow  his  or  her  vocation. 

The  youthful  Tobias  said  to  Sara,  his  wife :  "we  are  children 
of  saints ;  and  we  must  not  be  joined  together  like  heathens 

}]-*  «;  *  1  Corinthians,  vii:  38.          * 


4:30  311  O  K  T     S  K  it  M  O  N  S  . 

that  know  not  God."*  You  therefore  who  believe  yourselves  called 
to  the  marriage  state,  learn  the  ends  for  which  the  Lord  established 
this  sacrament  among  men. 

When  the  Lord  had  created  man  to  live  in  society,  He  said  to 
him:  "Increase  and  multiply,  and  fill  the  earth."  The  Lord 
desired  to  prepare  for  himself  adorers  who  would  people  successively 
earth  and  heaven ;  who,  having  one  after  the  other  glorified  Him 
during  their  short  pilgrimage  in  this  world,  might  all  together 
glorify  him  in  the  abode  of  immortality,  for  everlasting  ages.  This 
is  the  reason  why  we  repeat  to  Christians  about  to  enter  into  this 
holy  alliance,  those  beautiful  words  which  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
addressed  to  young  Tobias :  "Thou  shalt  take  a  virgin  from  the 
hands  of  her  parents,  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  moved  rather  for 
love  of  children  than  for  lust,  that  in  the  seed  of  Abraham,  thou 
mayest  obtain  a  blessing  in  children.  But  when  thou  shalt  take 
her,  give  thyself  to  nothing  else  but  to  prayers  with  her ;  for  they 
who,  in  such  manner  receive  Matrimony,  as  to  shut  out  God  from 
themselves,  and  from  their  mind,  and  to  give  themselves  to  their 
lust,  as  the  horse  and  mule,  which  have  not  understanding,  over 
them  the  devil  hath  power. "f 

Nevertheless,  let  those  whom  sad  experience  has  proved  that  to 
live  in  celibacy,  is  for  them  an  occasion  of  sin,  not  delay  to  seek, 
in  an  honorable  and  virtuous  marriage,  the  means  of  preserving 
themselves  against  the  sins  of  the  flesh,  and  above  all,  an  efficacious 
remedy  against  the  dangers  of  their  own  concupiscence.  It  is  not 
I,  but  the  Apostle  St.  Paul,  who  clearly  inculcates  this  :  "I  would 
that  all  men  were  even  as  myself:  but  every  one  hath  his  proper 
gift  from  God  ;  one  after  this  manner,  and  another  after  that.  But 
I  say  to  the  unmarried  and  to  the  widows  :  It  is  good  for  them  if 
they  so  continue,  even  as  I.  But  if  they  do  not  contain  them- 
selves, let  them  marry:  for  it  is  better  to  marry  than  to  burn"}; 
with  the  fires  of  concupiscence  in  this  life  and  hereafter  in  the  ever- 
lasting flames  of  hell. 

Alas  !  my  Brethren,  how  many  unfortunate  Christians  now  suffer 
and  shall  forever  suffer  the  dreadful  torments  of  hell,  for  not  hav- 
ing complied  with  this  advice  of  the  Apostle  !  How  many  there 


Tobias,  viii*:  5.  f  Tobias,  vi.  $  1  Corinthians,  vii:  8,9. 


ON    THE    SACRAMENT    OF    MATRIMONY.  431 

are,  who  live  in  the  constant  habit  of  mortal  sin,  and  every  instant 
run  the  risk  of  being  hurled  into  the  eternal  abyss,  and  who  could 
live  in  the  grace  of  God  and  work  out  their  salvation,  if  they 
would  only  follow  the  voice  of  the  Lord  inviting  them  to  enter 
into  the  sacred  bonds  of  Matrimony !  Marriage,  therefore,  has 
been  instituted  as  a  remedy  against  concupiscence. 

"It  is  not  good,"  says  God,  "for  man  to  be  alone:  let  us  make 
him  a  help  like  unto  himself/'*  Man  and  woman  are  united  by 
the  sacred  bonds  of  Matrimony,  and  the  Almighty  wishes  that  this 
should  be,  for  the  purpose  of  mutually  aiding  one  another,  of  sup- 
porting one  another  by  .their  advice,  their  counsel  and  their  mutual 
service ;  so  that  they  may  become  every  day  more  perfect  and  more 
holy.  Hence,  on  the  day  of  your  marriage,  we  say  to  you : 
"  Christians  who  unite  in  the  sacred  bonds  of  Matrimony,  enter 
into  a  mutual  promise  of  laboring  in  concert  for  each  other's  sanctifi- 
cation,  of  supporting  patiently  the  pains  of  this  life,  that  they  may 
happily  attain  life  everlasting ;  for  marriage  is  a  holy  state,  in 
which  you  promise  to  help  one  another,  and  lead  holy  lives  in 
the  Lord."  This  mutual  assistance, — this  bearing  one  another's 
burdens,  is  one  of  the  most  precious  advantages  of  this  union,  and 
what  ought  to  constitute  its  chief  delight,  if  there  be  any  delight 
in  this  world. 

But  how  few  are  the  Christians,  who,  at  the  time  of  their  mar- 
riage, keep  in  view  the  sanctity  of  the  state  in  which  they  are  about 
to  engage,  and  remember  the  ends  for  which  the  Lord  instituted 
marriage  !  How  few  who  marry  for  the  purpose  of  giving  children 
to  the  world,  servants  to  God,  and  saints  to  heaven  !  How  few  who 
marry  with  the  design  of  mutual  edification,  of  mutually  helping 
one  another  in  the  practice  of  virtue,  of  supporting  and  encouraging 
one  another  amid  the  troubles  of  life,  amid  the  miseries  and  vex- 
ations of  the  world  and  the  infirmities  of  old  age  ! 

What  is  it  that  induces  most  people  to  marry  ?  Alas  !  but  too 
often,  it  is  passion  that  brings  them  to  the  altar  ;  too  often  they  have 
the  most  criminal  objects  in  view  in  contracting  an  alliance  which 
ought  to  be  so  holy  and  so  pure  !  Levity,  vanity,  illusion  occasioned 
by  vain  and  ephemeral  beauty,  the  desire  of  riches,  ambition  and 

*  Genesis,  ii :  18. 


432  SHORTSEKMONS. 

cupidity,  those  are  the  motives  which  induce  numberless  Christians 
to  enter  into  the  sacred  engagements  of  Matrimony.  Others  marry, 
and  why  ?  Because  they  are  tired  of  leading  a  life  of  service  ;  because 
they  wish  to  become  their  own  masters,  they  are  impatient  of  paternal 
restraint ;  unbridled  passion  and  sensual  desires  predominate  over 
them.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  then,  if  God  refuses  to  bless  such 
marriages  ?  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at,  that  such  husbands  and  wives 
know  only  how  to  torment  each  other,  and  mutually  contribute  to 
each  other's  misery  for  time  and  eternity  ?  To  obtain  the  blessing  of 
God  and  enjoy  happiness  in  the  holy  state  of  Matrimony,  you  must 
enter  into  it  with  a  good  intention  and  for  ends  worthy  of  a  Chris- 
tian and  of  God.  The  conjugal  union  is  a  holy  state,  since  Thou 
art  its  author,  O  my  God  !  Thou  knowest  the  dangers  which  beset 
Thy  children,  and  the  weakness  of  human  nature ;  hence  Thou  hast 
annexed  to  the  worthy  reception  of  this  sacrament  peculiar  graces, 
which  enable  the  husband  and  the  wife  to  surmount  the  various 
obstacles  they  may  meet  with  in  the  way  of  happiness.  Grant,  O 
Lord,  that  those  who  are  called  to  this  state  may  render  themselves 
worthy  of  the  grace  which  Thou  hast  destined  for  them,  and  that 
they  may  prepare  for  it  by  a  holy  life.  Gi\«e  them  grace  to  enter 
into  all  Thy  views  in  their  regard ;  give  them  an  upright  intention  ; 
purify  them,  sanctify  them,  so  that  they  may  deserve,  when  their 
earthly  career  will  be  over,  to  be  admitted  to  the  nuptials  of  the 
Lamb,  and  to  enjoy  for  all  eternity  His  ineffable  presence  in  Thy 
own  most  holy  mansion. — AMEN. 


PAKT  VI. 

SERMON  LXXX-IX. 
ON  SIN  IN  GENERAL. 


"  Flee  from  sins  as  from  the  face  of  a  serpent." — ECCLESIASTICUS,  xxi :  2. 

• 

THE  Son  of  God  descended  from  heaven,  led  for  thirty-three  years 
a  most  austere  and  penitential  life,  shed  His  adorable  blood,  and 
died  on  a  cross  to  destroy  Sin.  To  prevent  us  from  becoming 
guilty  again,  He  promised  us  His  aid  and  assistance ;  He  opened 
among  us  seven  abundant  sources  of  blessings,  and  assured  us  "that 
whatever  we  shall  ask  of  His  heavenly  Father  in  His  name  shall 
be  given  us."  Notwithstanding  all  this,  the  frightful  monster  Sin 
continues  always  waging  wat  against  the  Lord,  renewing  the  death 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  destroying  men  by  separating  them  from  God. 
On  every  side  iniquity  seems  to  have  inundated  the  earth.  Never 
did  men  wander  further  from  the  maxims  of  a  Christian  life,  which 
consists  in  avoiding  evil  and  doing  good.  Following  then  the 
example  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Apostles,  we  are  going  to  speak 
to  you  of  this  dreadful  evil,  which  we  call  Sin,  less  indeed  with  a 
view  of  explaining  its  nature  than  with  that  of  inspiring  you  with 
a  horror  for  it. 

What  is  Sin?  St.  Augustine  says  that  Sin  is  any  thought,  word, 
deed  or  action  contrary  to  the  law  of  God ;  or,  as  St.  Ambrose 
defines  it :  sin  is  a  transgression  of  the  divine  commandments,  a 
willful  violation  of  the  laws  of  the  Lord. 

An  impious  king,  when  oppressed  with  grief  and  sinking  under 
the  chastisements  of  divine  justice,  once  said,  "  it  is  just  and  proper 
for  man  to  be  subject  to  the  Lord."    The  creature  should  daily  offer 
3?  (  4&  ) 


434:  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Him  the  homage  of  his  obedience,  and  labor  continually  to  accom- 
plish His  adorable  will.  Surely  then,  when  this  great  God  com- 
mands, all  things  are  ready  and  eager  to  pay  Him  homage, — to 
obey  His  voice.  Yet  I  am  mistaken,  it  is  not  so.  There  is  a  being 
who  wishes  to  rise  from  his  state  of  dependance,  a  servant  who 
longs  to  rebel  against  the  authority  of  his  master,  a  child  who  no 
longer  acknowledges  his  father.  A  voice  is  heard  exclaiming:  I 
Avill  not  obey, — "I  will  not  serve."*  And  who  is  this  presumptuous 
being  who  dares  to  rise  against  a  God  so  great, — to  raise  the  stand 
ard  of  revolt  against  the  omnipotent,  eternal  God?  Is  it  man! 
Man,  a  vile  compound  of  slimy  clay, — man,  a  poor,  weak,  miser- 
able being,  whose  span  of  life  is  but  a  day,  and  who  is  not  master 
of  even  that !  Such  is  the  being  who  has  the  effrontery  to  vie  with 
the  Lord:  behold,  says  St.  Ambrose,  nothingness  taking. up  arms 
against  the  Supreme  Being,  to  make  himself  equal  to  Him !  See 
with  what  insolent  pride  he  pronounces  his  blasphemies  against  the 
Lord.  "Sovereign  Master  of  the  universe,  thou  hast  imposed  Thy 
law  on  all  nature,  and  all  nature  obeys  Thee  ;  but  I  will  not  obey. 
Thou  commandest  me  to  honor  Thy  thrice  holy  name,  to  consecrate 
to  Thy  service  certain  days,  to  love  my  neighbor,  to  struggle  against 
my  passions ;  but  I  will  not  obey  Thee.  I  will  continue  to  outrage 
Thy  name,  I  will  desecrate  the  Sundays,  I  will  hate  my  neighbor, 
I  will  detract  and  calumniate  him,  I  will  be  the  slave  of  my 
passions.  It  is  true,  Thou  hast  promised  me  everlasting  felicity 
if  I  submit  to  Thy  law ;  and  Thou  threatenest  me  with  equal  tor- 
ments if  I  cast  off  the  yoke  of  Thy  authority ;  but  I  disregard  Thy 
commandments,  Thy  promises  and  Thy  threats.  I  will  think  what 
I  wish,  love  what  I  wish,  do  what  I  wish,  and  live  as  I  please." 
The  sinner  therefore  is  a  rebel  against  God. 

And  yet  this  man  who  thus  offends  his  God  is  enriched  with  the 
benefits  of  his  divine  Master,  and  all  covered  with  the  august  blood 
which  has  redeemed  him.  For  him  God  created  the  world, — for 
him  He  sacrificed  His  own  Son.  What  is  still  more  dreadful,  is, 
that  this  man  makes  use  of  the  very  benefits  of  God  to  insult  Him. 
Mind,  heart,  imagination,  soul,  e}'-es,  ears,  tongue,  feet,  hands  and 
body,  he  has  received  them  all  from  God,  and  yet  he  makes  use 

*  Jeremias,  ii :  20. 


ON    SIN    IN    GENERAL.  435 

of  them  to  outrage  God.  The  sinner  therefore  is  an  ungrateful 
wretch. 

Sinner,  you  forsake  the  Lord,  who  is  the  fountain  of  living 
waters,  and  dig  for  yourself  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold 
no  water.*  You  abandon  God,  who  is  the  principle  of  all  good, 
to  run  after  creatures,  who  are  but  vapors,  shadows  and  empty 
phantoms.  Where  then  is  your  faith,  your  reason  and  your  good 
sense  ?  You  are  then  foolish  as  well  as  wicked. 

You  sin,  that  is  to  say,  you  sadden  the  heart  of  the  best  of 
fathers, — you  force  God  to  withdraw  Himself  from  you, — you  yield 
up  your  soul  to  the  devil.  Yes,  you  become  the  slave  of  the  devil, 
for  St.  Peter  says  that  such  is  the  right  of  war,  that  he  who  is 
vanquished  becomes  the  slave  of  the  conqueror ;  now,  it  is  the  devil 
who  conquers  you ;  you  are  therefore  the  slave  of  the  devil. 

You  sin,  that  is,  you  draw  upon  yoursevles  the  hatred  of  God. 
But,  you  tell  me,  this  is  not  so ;  for  God  loves  all  His  works,  and 
He  hates  none  of  the  things  which  he  Has  made.f  But  God  did  not 
make  Sin ;  Sin  is  the  work  of  a  will  contrary  to  the  will  of  God. 
God  detests  Sin  ;  the  love  which  He  has  for  himself  is  the  extent  of 
the  hatred  which  He  bears  to  Sin ;  He  pursues  it  therefore  with  an 
infinite,  eternal  hatred.  Now,  if  God  detests  Sin  with  an  eternal, 
necessary  and  infinite  hatred,  He  detests  the  sinner  in  the  same 
manner;  that  is  to  say,  He  can  not  avoid  hating  him  as  a  sinner. 
In  reality,  the  Holy  Ghost  informs  us  that  "to  God  the  wicked  and 
his  wickedness  are  hateful  alike. "J  What  a  misfortune  to  be  hated 
by  God  !  Can  there  be  any  lot  more  sad,  more  miserable  ? 

To  be  hated  by  God,  while  every  day  we  stand  in  need  of  His 
graces  and  blessings  !  To  be  hated  by  God,  while  His  love  alone 
can  open  for  us  the  gates  of  heaven !  To  be  hated  by  God,  our 
sovereign  Judge,  who  can  destroy  our  soul  and  body  for  all  eternity> 
and  bury  us  forever  in  the  abyss  of  everlasting  woes  !  Oh !  no 
doubt,  you  hate  and  detest  Sin, — you  will  fly  from  it, — you  will 
never  permit  it  to  dwell  in  your  hearts.  .  "I  have  chosen  the  way 
of  truth ;  we  shall  be  wise,  because  the  precepts  of  the  law  of  the 
Lord  shall  always  be  before  my  eyes.  Thy  word,  0  Lord,  is  a  lamp 
to  my  feet,  and  a  light  to  my  paths.  Give  me  understanding,  and 

«  Jeremias,  ii :  13.  f  Wisdom,  xi :  25  J  Wisdom,  xiv  :  9. 


436  SHORT    SERMONS  . 

I  shall  keep  Thy  law.     Uphold  me  according  to  thy  word,  and  I 
shall  live.     Help  me,  and  I  shall  be  saved."* 

I  have  said  that  Sin  is  a  violation  of  the  law  of  God,  but  a  willful 
violation.  A  person  is  not  guilty  of  Sin  when  he  is  ignorant  of  the 
law  and  has  no  will  to  violate  it,  when  there  is  neither  advertence 
nor  consent.  For  example,  he  is  not  guilty  of  Sin,  who  without 
malice,  without  advertence  and  without  will,  has  had  the  misfortune 
to  kill  his  neighbor.  He  is  not  guilty  of  Sin,  who  through  invol- 
untary forgetfulness  or  through  ignorance,  violates  the  law  of  the 
Church,  by  eating  flesh  meat  on  a  day  of  abstinence,  for  there  is  in 
the  heart  of  this  man  neither  the  will  to  offend  God,  nor  the  inten- 
tion to  violate  His  law,  nor  contempt  of  the  commandments. 
Thus  sick  people  and  prisoners  do  not  Sin  when  they  fail  to  hear 
mass  on  Sundays  and  holidays  of  obligation ;  for  they  are  lawfully 
prevented  from  complying  with  this  duty.  You  suffer  violent 
temptations  in  your  mind,  in  your  imagination  or  in  your  flesh; 
you  are  a  prey  to  bad  thoughts  and  evil  desires ;  are  you  guilty  of 
Sin  ?  No,  if  they  come  in  spite  of  yourselves,  against  your  will, 
without  any  fault  on  your  part.  But  you  are  guilty  in  your  temp- 
tations, if  you  voluntarily  and  presumptuously  expose  yourselves 
to  the  occasions  of  Sin ;  as  for  example,  if  you  were  to  visit  a 
person  with  whom  you  would  be  tempted  to  commit  Sin,  or  to  keep 
bad  company,  if  you  were  to  read  bad  books  or  to  live  in  idleness. 
When  yoii  thus  expose  yourselves  to  the  danger,  it  is  useless  for 
you  to  say,  I  was  unable  to  resist, — I  was  not  free.  You  should 
not  have  exposed  yourselves,  or  placed  yourselves  in  a  position 
wherein  you  could  no  longer  be  masters  of  yourselves.  Thus,  my 
Brethren,  a  man  becomes  guilty  before  God  when  he  does  things 
contrary  to  His  law,  and  gives  his  consent  directly  or  indirectly  in 
the  cause ;  that  is  to  say,  when  he  exposes  himself  to  an  occasion 
bad  in  itself,  and  when  he  perceives,  at  least  in  a  confused  way,  the 
evils  that  may  proximately  result  from  such  exposure.  A  man 
gets  drunk ;  knowing  by  sad  experience  that  he  will  commit  in  his 
drunkenness  great  crimes,  he  is  responsible  before  God  for  all  the 
Sins  that  he  shall  commit  in  that  state,  although  at  the  time  when 
he  commits  them  he  may  be  deprived  of  his  reason ;  he  is  guilty 

*  Psalms,  czviii. 


ON    SIN    IN    GENERAL.  437 

of  the  immodest  words  which  he  utters,  of  the  oaths  and  blasphe- 
mies which  he  pronounces,  of  the  insults  and  outrages  which  he 
perpetrates  against  his  neighbor,  of  the  injuries  which  he  inflicts, 
and  the  scandal  that  he  gives:  all  these  things  are  voluntary  in 
their  cause,  and  are  therefore  sinful  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord. 

Sin  is  a  transgression  of  the  law  of  God ; — why  do  we  not  speak 
of  human  laws  ?  Because  every  time  that  a  man  violates  a  just 
law,  whether  it  be  divine  or  human,  he  violates  the  law  of  God. 
The  Apostle  tells  us  "  that  all  power  comes  from  God ;"  and  the 
Lord  himself  says,  "it  is  by  me  that  kings  reign  and  establish  just 
laws."  Whoever  resists  lawful  authority,  resists  God  himself, — 
resists  the  order  which  He  has  established.  God  has  given  to 
certain  men  the  right  to  govern  us;  and  to  violate  their  laws,  is  to 
violate  the  law  of  God,  and  therefore,  he  who  does  so  commits  Sin. 

The  Empress  Eudoxia,  wishing  to  get  rid  of  St.  John  Chrysos- 
tom,  whose  zeal  and  reproaches  she  dreaded,  sent  messengers  from 
her  court  to  sound  him,  and  ascertain  what  he  most  feared.  At 
first  they  threatened  to  deprive  him  of  his  temporal  goods.  You 
could  not  confer  a  greater  favor  on  me,  replied  the  holy  bishop, 
than  to  relieve  me  of  so  heavy  a  burden. — You  will  be  sent  into 
exile. — Then  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  send  me  into  some 
place  where  God  is  not ;  was  the  reply. — You  will  be  condemned 
to  prison  and  to  death. — Very  well !  I  am  ready  to  suffer  all  these 
things.  Tell  the  Empress  that  of  all  the  things  on  earth  I  fear 
nothing  but  Sin.  May  heaven  grant,  my  Brethren,  that  it  may  be 
so  with  you !  However  disagreeable  the  troubles  of  earth  may  be, 
fear  them  not ;  they  are  as  nothing  when  compared  to  Sin. 
Fathers  and  mothers,  teach  this  great  truth  to  your  children ;  tell 
them  frequently  how  much  God  hates  Sin,  and  how  displeasing 
sinners  are  in  His  holy  sight.  As  for  ourselves,  my  Brethren,  let 
us  fly  from  Sin  as  from  a  most  dangerous  serpent.  We  have  but 
too  often,  alas  !  provoked  the  wrath  of  God  by  our  transgressions, 
let  us  endeavor,  while  we  have  time,  to  appease  His  anger  by  our 
repentance,  that  we  may  become  children  of  mercy,  and  experience 
its  salutary  effects  throughout  a  happy  eternity. — AMEN. 


438  SHORT    SERMONS. 


SERMON  XC. 

ON  SIN.— (CONTINUED.) 


"  My  son,  take  heed  thou  never  consent  to  sin,  nor  transgress  the  command- 
ments of  the  Lord  our  God." — TOBIAS,  iv  :  6. 

IN  our  last  instruction,  my  Brethren,  I  endeavored  to  make  you 
understand  what  Sin  is  in  general.  I  told  you  that  Sin  is  a  thought, 
word,  or  action  contrary  to  the  law  of  God ;  and,  I  trust,  convinced 
you  that  it  is  an  odious  rebellion  against  the  Lord,  a  -black  ingrati- 
tude, and  a  great  folly.  Very  wise  then  was  the  advice  which  the 
holy  man,  Tobias,  gave  to  his  son,  when  he  said  to  him :  "My  son, 
take  heed  thou  never  consent  to  sin,  nor  transgress  the  command- 
ments of  the  Lord  our  God."  To-day,  I  mean  to  speak  to  you  of 
the  different  kinds  of  Sin. 

How  many  kinds  of  Sin  are  there  ?  There  are  two,  original  and 
actual.  This  word  original  implies  that  it  comes  from  our  origin. 
Original  Sin  is  that  which  our  first  father,  Adam,  our  origin,  com- 
mitted in  the  earthly  paradise,  and  in  which  all  of  us  have  partici- 
pated, because  our  wills  were  included,  as  it  were,  in  that  of  Adam. 
If  Adam  had  continued  faithful  to  the  commandment  which  God 
had  imposed  upon  him,  if  he  had  not  sinned,  like  him,  all  of  us 
would  have  had  the  happiness  of  being  born  in  sanctity  and  justice, 
and  we  would  have  partaken  of  all  the  advantages  and  privileges 
which  the  Lord  had  gratuitously  and  so  generously  granted  to  him. 
The  King  of  kings  said  to  him  :  "you  shall  be  happy  and  immortal, 
you  and  your  posterity,  but  on  condition  that  you  prove  your  sub- 
mission by  remaining  faithful  to  the  easy  commandment  which  I 
impose  upon  you."  But  Adam  fulfilled  not  the  condition,  he  dis- 
obeyed God,  he  fell  away  from  grace, — he  lost  it,  and  we  shared  in 
his  misfortune.  We  were  conceived  in  iniquity, — our  mothers 
brought  us  forth  in  Sin,  and,  had  not  the  holy  waters  of  Baptism 


O  X     SIX.  4:39 

washed  and  purified  our  souls,  we  could  never  be  admitted  to  see 
and  love  God  in  heaven.  Let  us  not  murmur  ;  has  an  earthen 
vessel  the  right  to  ask  of  the  potter  why  it  has  not  b«en  formed 
more  magnificently  and  beautifully  ?  Let  us  rather  repeat  these 
words  of  the  Apostle  :  "  0  the  depth  of  the  riches,  of  the  wisdom 
and  of  the  knowledge  of  God  !  How  incomprehensible  are  His 
judgments,  and  how  unsearchable  His  ways  !"*  Who  can  fathom 
the  views  of  God  and  enter  into  His  impenetrable  counsels  ?  Adam 
sinned  many  thousand  years  ago,  and  we  were  born  guilty  in 
consequence  of  Adam's  Sin  ;  this  is  a  mystery  which  we  can  not 
fathom.  But,  enveloped  in  obscurity  as  this  dogma  is,  still  it  is 
not  opposed  to  reason  ;  our  finite  reason,  indeed,  can  not  grasp  it, 
for  it  is  above  human  comprehension,  but,  nevertheless,  we  must 
believe  it  since  God  has  revealed  it.  For,  has  He  not,  essential 
truth  and  justice  as  He  is,  told  us  by  the  mouth  of  St.  Paul,  that 
we  were  born  children  of  wrath,  that  "  by  one  man  Sin  entered  into 
this  world,  and  by  Sin  death  :  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men, 
in  whom  all  have  sinned,  "f  We  have  sinned  in  Adam  and  we 
must  undergo  the  chastisement  due  to  our  Sin  :  the  privation  of 
grace,  the  pains  and  miseries  of  life,  death,  ignorance  and  concu- 
piscence which  abides  in  us,  even  after  we  have  been  restored  to  the 
divine  favor;  these  are  what  remains  to  us  from  the  fall  of  our 
first  father, — they  are  the  sad  consequences  of  our  Sin.  This  con- 
demnation exists, — it  is  just ;  we  must  believe  these  two  truths, 
though  we  can  not  comprehend  them. 

Happy  for  us,  my  Brethren,  that  the  Lord  has  not  punished  us 
as  He  punished  the  rebel  angels,  whom  He  condemned  to  eternal 
torments  !  The  God  of  goodness  loved  us  so  much,  that  He  was 
pleased  superabundently  to  repair  the  evil  which  our  first  parents  had 
brought  upon  us ;  and  now,  where  Sin  had  abounded,  grace  super- 
abounds  in  generous  profusion.  We  were  dead  in  Adam,  and  we 
have  risen  to  life  with  Christ,  and  by  Jesus  Christ  in  God,  we  have 
been  delivered  from  our  slavery ;  we  have  become  just,  holy, 
children  of  God,  heirs  of  God,  co-heirs  of  Jesus  Christ,  members 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  all  these 
precious  gifts, — all  these  divine  blessings  became  our  happy  portion, 


*  Romans,  xi :  33.  f  Romans,  v  :  12. 


8  II  O  H  T     S  K  K  M  O  N  S  . 

when  the  holy  waters  of  Baptism  were  poured  upon  our  heads ; 
this  is  the  heavenly  dew  that  blots  out  our  Sin,  which  restores  us 
to  the  grace  and  friendship  of  God,  and  reopens  for  us  the  gates  of 
heaven.  Christian  parents,  take  heed  and  never  permit  your 
children  to  remain  long  in  original  Sin ;  they  may  die  in  that  state, 
it  needs  not  much  to  extinguish  the  weak  breath  of  life  which 
animates  them.  Hasten  then  to  have  them  baptized,  that  the  eye 
of  God  may  discover  nothing  sinful  in  their  souls,  and  that  nothing 
may  hinder  them  from  entering  heaven,  if  the  Lord  judge  proper 
to  shorten  their  days  and  call  them  to  himself. 

Original  Sin,  this  sad  inheritance  which  our  first  parents  left  us, 
is  the  source  of  all  the  other  Sins  which  we  commit,  and  which  we 
call  actual.  This  word  actual  is  derived  from  the  word  action. 
Actual  Sin  is  so  called,  because  we  commit  it  by  our  own  action 
and  by  the  free  choice  of  our  own  will ;  it  can  not  be  committed 
until  we  have  attained  the  age  of  reason  and  know  what  we  do. 
Alas !  but  too  soon  do  we  acquire  this  unhappy  power,  and  it  is 
but  too  true,  that  the  human  mind,  and  all  the  thoughts  of  our 
hearts  are  inclined  to  evil  from  our  very  youth. 

The  Holy  Ghost  tells  us,  that  we  are  all  guilty  of  many  Sins.  In 
truth,  innumerable  are  the  Sins  committed  in  the  world,  by  thought, 
word,  deed  and  omission.  We  Sin  by  thought,  when  we  think 
evil,  or  of  doing  evil,  voluntarily  and  with  pleasure.  God,  who  is 
the  sovereign  Master  of  our  souls  as  well  as  of  our  bodies,  pro- 
hibits, not  only  bad  actions,  but  also  bad  thoughts  and  desires. 
His  law  not  only  stays  the  hand  and  the  tongue,  it  also  governs  the 
mind  and  the  heart.  In  the  heart  disobedience  begins, — the  heart  is 
the  source  of  Sin ;  words  and  actions  are  but  its  outward  manifes- 
tations. So,  it  is  certain  that  the  soul  that  gives  itself  up  to  bad 
thoughts  and  evil  desires,  becomes  as  guilty  before  God  as  if  it 
committed  the  actions  which  its  thoughts  represent  to  it :  before 
the  supreme  Judge  the  will  is  reputed  as  the  deed.  It  was  to  teach 
us  the  danger  we  run  by  opening  our  minds  to  bad  thoughts,  that 
our  divine  Saviour  said  to  us:  "Whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman 
to  lust  after  her,  hath  already  committed  adultery  with  her  in  his 
heart."* 

*  St.  Matthew,  v:  28. 


ON    SIN.  441 

Sin  is  committed  by  word,  when  any  thing  is  said  contrary  to  the 
honor  of  God,  to  truth  or  to  fraternal  charity.  You  therefore  Sin 
by  words,when  you  take  unnecessary  or  false  oaths,  when  you  swear 
and  blaspheme,  when  you  tell  lies,  when  you  detract  or  calumniate, 
when  vou  sing  immodest  songs  or  hold  wicked  conversations. 
These  are  the  Sins  of  the  tongue  ;  Sins  so  numerous  and  so  fatal  to 
our  souls,  to  the  peace  and  happiness  of  mankind,  that  the  Apostle 
St.  James  tells  us  that  the  tongue  is  a  world  of  iniquity,  and  that 
it  deiileth  the  whole  body. 

A  man  Sins  by  action,  when  he  commits  deeds  forbidden  by  the 
law  of  God,  such  as  stealing,  striking  his  neighbor,  engaging  in 
unjust  lawsuits,  committing  shameful  or  dishonorable  acts,  or 
giving  himself  up  to  drunkenness. 

Finally,  a  person  Sins  by  omission,  when  he  does  not  perform 
what  his  duty  requires  of  him  and  what  the  law  commands.  If  he 
sins  who  presumes  to  do  what  God  prohibits,  in  like  manner  does 
he  sin  and  offend  the  Lord  who  will  not  fulfill  what  God  commands. 

Nevertheless,  how  little  regard  men  pay  to  Sins  of  omission  !  Are 
there  "many  heads  of  families,  who  consider  themselves  guilty  for 
not  keeping  to  their  duty  those  under  their  charge  ?  For  not 
watching  over,  reprimanding  and  correcting  them  ?  Are  there 
many  fathers  and  mothers,  who  accuse  themselves  in  confession, 
of  having  neglected  their  children  and  taken  little  care  to  give  them 
a  Christian  education  ?  Are  there  many  children,  workmen  and 
servants,  who  accuse  themselves  of  having  neglected  their  work  and 
given  too  much  of  their  time  to  idleness  and  foolish  talk  ?  In  fine, 
are  there  many  Christians,  who  accuse  themselves  of  not  having 
loved  God  sufficiently,  of  not  having  returned  Him  thanks  for  His 
benefits,  of  not  having  sincerely  and  in  deed  manifested  love  to 
their  neighbors,  of  not  having  helped  and  relieved  as  many  of  their 
poorer  fellow-creatures  as  they  were  able  ?  Alas  !  my  Brethren, 
it  is  but  too  true,  that  we  commit  a  great  number  of  Sins  of 
omission  ;  but  we  do  not  think  of  them,  we  do  not  believe  ourselves 
guilty,  and  consequently  we  do  not  accuse  ourselves  of  them  in  con- 
fession. Nevertheless,  our  blessed  Lord,  the  Eternal  Truth,  assures 
us,  that  he  who  has  known  the  will  of  his  master  and  has  not 
fulfilled  it,  shall  be  surely  punished. 

You  see  then,  my  Brethren,  in  how  many  ways  we  may  unhappily 


442  SHORT     S  K  11  M  O  N  S  . 

exercise  the  sad  power  which  we  possess  of  being  able  to  offend 
God.  All  the  powers  of  our  body  and  of  our  soul  are  instruments 
of  Sin  and  eternal  ruin,  if  we  do  not  keep  a  careful  guard  over 
them.  Alas !  if  we  sin, — if  we  are  lost,  it  is  truly  our  own  fault, 
and  because  we  are  so  malicious  as  to  turn  against  our  sovereign 
Benefactor  the  gifts  which  He  has  deigned  to  bestow  upon  us. 

O  my  God !  let  me  rather  die  than  offend  Thee  again  !  True,  I 
am  weak  !  Many  times  have  I  experienced  the  inconstancy  of  my 
heart !  But,  Lord,  I  can  do  all  things,  if  Thy  grace  supports  me  ; 
grant  me  this  grace,  that  I  may  watch  over  all  my  thoughts,  words 
and  actions,  that  they  may  never  be  opposed  to  Thy  holy  law. 
Strengthen,  0  Lord,  the  resolution  which  I  take  in  Thy  presence, 
for  Thou  alone  canst  enable  me  to  execute  it.  Preserve  the  work 
of  Thy  hands ;  and  never  permit  that  the  violence  of  my  passions 
and  the  seduction  of  bad  example  should  cause  me  to  violate  Thy 
holy  law,  or  weaken  the  sincere  purpose  I  this  day  form,  of  obeying, 
loving  and  serving  Thee  to  the  last  moment  of  my  life. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XCI. 
ON  MORTAL  SIN 


tt  Know  thou,  nnd  see,  that  it  is  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing  for  thee,  to  have  left 
the  Lord  thy  God." — JEREMIAS,  ii :  19. 

WE  know  that  there  are  innumerable  sins  committed  in  the 
world  by  thought,  word,  action  and  omission.  These  sins  are  of 
two  kinds,  mortal  and  venial.  To-day,  I  shall  speak  of  Mortal 
Sin,  and  you  will  be  still  more  convinced  of  the  wisdom  of  that 
advice  which  holy  Tobias  gave  his  son  when  he  said  to  him :  "My 
son,  take  heed  that  thou  never  consent  to  sin,  nor  transgress  the 
commandments  of  the  Lord  our  God;"  you  will  also  admit  the 
truth  of  these  words  of  the  prophet  Jeremias :  "  Know  thou,  and 


O  N    M  O  K  T  A  L    SIN.  443 

see,  that  it  is  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing  for  thee,  to  have  left  the 
Lord  thy  God." 

What  is  Mortal  Sin?  It  is  the  sin  committed  by  him  who 
violates  the  law  of  God  in  a  grievous  matter,  and  with  perfect  con- 
sent, in  other  words,  with  reflection,  deliberation  and  a  full  and 
entire  will.  This  sin  is  called  mortal,  because  it  inflicts  death  on 
the  soul.  The  true  murderer  of  man  is  Mortal  Sin,  whose  wages, 
says  St.  Paul,  is  death,  not  only  the  death  of  the  body,  introduced 
into  this  world  by  the  sin  of  our  first  parents,  but  a  death  much 
more  fearful, — the  death  of  the  soul, — for  the  Holy  Ghost  declares, 
"that  the  soul  that  sinneth  shall  die."*  But  is  not  our  soul  im- 
mortal ?  Yes,  my  Brethren,  faith  and  reason  teach  us  that  in  its 
substance  the  soul  is  spiritual  and  immortal ;  but,  if  we  consider 
it  in  its  relations  with  God,  the  principle  of  all  grace  and  glory, 
we  must  acknowledge  that  it  can  die.  The  possession  of  God  con- 
stitutes its  life;  the  privation  of  God  its  death.  St.  Augustine 
says,  that  "  God  is  to  the  soul  what  the  soul  is  to  the  body. 
When  the  soul  is  separated  from  the  body,  the  body  is  but  a  mass 
of  clay,  which  soon  goes  into  dissolution  ;  in  like  manner,  when 
our  soul  loses  its  God,  it  is  dead, — it  is  dead  to  grace,  and  its 
grave  is  in  the  pits  of  hell." 

This  soul,  dead  to  grace,  is  stripped  of  all  the  favor  which  had 
been  bestowed  upon  it,  robbed  of  all  the  spiritual  riches  which  it 
had  acquired,  and  all  its  past  merits  are  lost.  Though  a  person 
had  practised  for  eighty  years  all  the  austerities  of  the  anchorites, 
had  given  all  his  goods  to  the  poor,  had  accumulated  as  much  merit 
as  all  the  saints  who  ever  lived  or  ever  shall  live  in  this  world,  yet, 
were  he  unfortunately  to  commit  but  one  Mortal  Sin  and  die  with- 
out repentance,  he  would  lose  the  fruits  of  all  his  merits,  and  receive 
not  the  lightest  recompense  for  them  for  all  eternity.  "If  the  just 
man,"  says  the  Lord,  "turn  himself  away  from  his  justice,  and  do 
iniquity  according  to  all  the  abominations  which  the  wicked  man 
useth  to  work,  shall  he  live  ?  All  his  justices  which  he  had  done, 
shall  not  be  remembered  :  in  the  prevarication,  by  which  he  hath 
prevaricated,  and  in  his  sin,  which  he  hath  committed,  in  them  he 
shall  die."*  The  farmer,  whose  crops  have  been  destroyed  by  the 

*  Joel,  i.  t  Ezechiel,  xviii :  24. 


444  SHORT    SERMONS. 

hail-storm,  the  sailor  whose  vessel  has  been  buried  beneath  the  waves 
of  the  ocean,  lament  their  misfortune  ;  their  condition  is  a  sad  one, 
and  no  doubt  deserves  our  compassion  ;  but  the  fate  of  the  unfortu- 
nate soul  that  loses  its  merits,  its  heaven  and  its  God,  is  infinitely 
more  lamentable.  It  is  true  that,  if  the  sinner  have  recourse  to  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance,  and  obtain  the  pardon  of  his  crimes,  his 
merits  revive ;  but  as  long  as  he  remains  in  the  deplorable  condition 
of  sin,  they  are  lost,  and  in  that  state  he  can  never  recover  them. 
Nothing  that  you  can  do  in  the  deplorable  state  of  sin  can  ever  merit 
for  you  an  eternal  reward.  If  you  are  in  Mortal  Sin,  deprived  of  the 
grace  of  God,  you  are  enemies  of  your  Lord  ;  your  souls  defiled, 
degraded  and  profaned,  are  objects  of  abomination  in  His  sight ; 
because,  being  sanctity  itself,  He  necessarily  detests  iniquity  wher- 
ever it  is  found.  In  that  lamentable  state,  you  are,  as  the  prophet 
Isaias  says,  "full  of  the  indignation  of  the  Lord."*  Practice  every 
virtue,  pray  as  much  as  you  please,  fast  and  give  abundant  alms  ; 
your  works  are  excellent  in  themselves,  but  they  have  no  value 
before  God, — they  are  not  meritorious  works.  Why  so  ?  Because 
sanctifying  grace  no  longer  abides  in  your  hearts,  and  by  it  alone 
good  works  become  precious  in  God's  sight,  and  worthy  of  being 
counted  among  the  number  of  those  works  which  give  a  right  to 
the  recompenses  of  the  Lord. 

Sinners,  are  then  all  your  good  works,  no  matter  how  praise- 
worthy, useless  ?  Yes,  if  you  continue  to  love  sin ;  no,  if  you 
detest  it,  for  then  these  good  works  aid  you  to  app  ease  the  anger  of 
God,  and  by  a  sincere  repentence,  you  can  obtain  the  happiness  of 
being  restored  to  the  divine  favor  and  friendship.  You  will  hear 
His  voice  addressing  you  in  the  secret  recesses  of  your  hearts,  how 
dreadful  is  the  evil  of  sin,  how  bitter  a  thing  it  is  to  have  forsaken 
the  Lord  your  God,  and  how  terrible  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
living  God.  Even  in  this  life  the  lot  of  the  sinner  is  bitter ;  for, 
he  who  but  awhile  ago  was  the  friend  of  God,  the  child  of  heaven, 
an  heir  to  the  eternal  kingdom,  sees  himself,  when  he  sins,  become 
a  poor  exile,  wounded  to  death,  stripped  of  all  his  wealth,  hated 
by  God  and  a  slave  to  the  devil.  But  still  more  sad  and  terrible  is 
the  sinner's  lot  in  the  life  to  come.  Let  us  say  it  with  the  Gospel, 

*  Isaias,  li :  20. 


ON    MORTAL    SIN.  445 

let  us  say  it  indeed  with  awe  and  trembling,  but  still  let  us  say  it, 
for  it  is  necessary,  useful,  and  an  act  of  Christian  charity  to  give 
warning  of  coming  evils  that  they  may  be  avoided, — let  us  then 
with  the  Gospel  proclaim  the  awful  truth,  that  hell  with  its  eternal 
torments  is  the  grave  of  souls  whom  Mortal  Sin  has  killed. 
Whether  they  be  rich  or  poor,  learned  or  ignorant ;  whether  their 
bodies  repose  in  marble  or  lie  buried  beneath  the  green  sward 
of  earth,  it  matters  not, — hell  is  the  grave,  the  frightful  sepulchre, 
the  everlasting  abode  of  every  soul  that  passes  out  of  life  sullied  by 
the  stains  of  Mortal  Sin  :  hell, — out  of  which  there  is  no  redemp- 
tion,— which  never  restores  what  it  has  once  received.  Sin  places 
you  over  this  frightful  precipice, — suspends  you  there  by  a  single 
thread, — the  frail  thread  of  life  ;  God,  whom  you  have  offended 
and  whom  you  still  continue  to  offend  holds  that  thread  in  His 
hand  ;  at  any  moment  He  may  cut  it,  and  bury  you  in  this  awful 
prison, — and  once  there,  0  sinners,  its  gates  are  closed  against  your 
release  for  ever ! 

But  what  emboldens  you  is,  perhaps,  that  you  have  not  com- 
mitted a  great  many  Mortal  Sins  ;  that  you  can  not  be  placed  among 
the  number  of  those  great  sinners,  whom  the  Apostle  declares 
excluded  from  heaven,  when  he  says :  "  no  fornicators,  nor  unclean, 
nor  covetous  person,  nor  thieves,  nor  slanderers,  nor  calumniators, 
nor  drunkards,  nor  gluttons,  whose  God  is  their  belly  and  whose 
glory  is  their  shame,  shall  ever  possess  the  kingdom  of  Christ." 
Do  not  deceive  yourselves,  my  Brethren  ;  not  alone  those  who  heap 
sin  upon  sin,  shall  become  the  prey  of  hell ;  every  soul  that  departs 
out  of  this  world  in  the  state  of  Mortal  Sin,  though  it  had  com- 
mitted but  one,  and  that  one  the  least  Mortal  Sin,  shall  see  his 
name  blotted  out  from  the  book  of  life;  heaven  shall  be  closed 
against  it,  and  it  shall  hear  the  terrible  words  of  divine  Justice  : 
"Depart  from  me,  you  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire."  Every 
Mortal  Sin  deprives  us  of  the  grace  and  friendship  of  God,  of 
heaven  and  its  ineffable  delights.  Alas  !  when  grace  is  lost,  all  is 
lost.  We  become  the  enemies  of  God,  the  foes  of  the  Almighty, 
who  may  in  an  instant  immolate  us  to  his  just  indignation,  against 
which  all  men  and  all  angels  can  not  defend  us  !  How  then  can  we 
deliberately  commit  sin  ?  And  after  having  committed  it,  how  can 
we  rest  one  moment,  without  taking  the  proper  means  to  rise  from 


44:6  SIIOKT    SERMONS. 

the  grave  of  sin  ?     One  single  Mortal  Sin  in  sufficient  to  cause  our 
eternal  misery  !     Think  seriously  of  this. 

Do  you  desire  that  I  should  adduce  examples  in  support  of  this 
awful  truth  ?  The  angels  sin  in  heaven ;  a  single  sin,  the  sin  of 
pride  defiles  them ;  God  immediately  drives  them  from  His  king- 
dom, and  for  them  and  for  all  who  follow  their  example  He  creates 
and  opens  hell.  Adam  and  Eve  committed  but  one  sin;  and  God 
expelled  them  from  the  terrestrial  paradise ;  they  would  have  per- 
ished forever,  had  not  a  long  and  painful  penance  opened  for  them 
the  bosom  of  divine  mercy.  For  one  sin  Core,  Dathan  and  Abiron 
were  swallowed  up  alive.  How  dangerous  then  is  sin  ?  How  ter- 
rible the  injury  which  it  offers  to  God,  since  the  divine  Justice  pun- 
nishes  it  so  severely !  How  true  it  is  that  we  ought  to  shun  it  as 
the  greatest  of  evils !  I  am  not  astonished  to  hear  a  holy  father 
exclaim,  "  Unfortunate  sinner!  You  lose  your  immortal  soul,  and 
you  drink  and  eat  as  if  this  loss  concerned  you  not !  By  walking 
as  you  do  in  the  ways  of  iniquity,  you  bear  death  in  your  bosom, 
and  yet  you  weep  not,  you  do  not  even  sigh !" 

You  carry  in  your  breast  a  soul  dead  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and 
yet  you  cease  not  to  abandon  yourselves  to  the  false  joys  of  the 
world,  though  you  are  hanging  over  the  precipice  of  hell.  Is  it 
faith  you  want  ? — or  reason  ? — or  do  you  merely  act  without  reflec- 
tion ?  You  laugh,  you  sport,  you  clap  your  hands,  and  yet  you  are 
all  the  while  running  on  to  your  destruction,  and  sooner  than  you 
imagine  you  shall  reach  the  brink  of  hell,  where  an  eternal  punish- 
ment awaits  you, — the  brink  of  hell,  where  there  is  no  hope,  because 
out  of  hell  there  is  no  redemption !  Oh !  sinners,  when  will  you 
be  wise, — when  will  you  open  your  hearts  to  the  truth  ?  Why 
do  you  not  listen  to  the  tender  invitations  of  your  God  and  the 
remorse  of  your  own  conscience  ?  How  good  it  would  be  for  you 
to  repent,  to  fly  to  the  throne  of  mercy,  where  converted,  you  would 
be  absolved,  replaced  on  the  road  to  heaven,  and  rendered  capable 
of  one  day  attaining  the  unutterable  happiness  which  inundates  the 
saints  in  the  mansions  of  the  eternal  God ! 

You  undersand  now  what  Mortal  Sin  is,  the  evils  which  it  brings 
along  with  it,  the  sad  effects  which  it  produces.  It  robs  us  of  all 
our  merits,  strips  our  good  works  of  all  their  value,  makes  us 
enemies  of  God,  incapable,  while  under  its  dominion,  of  doing  any 


ON    MORTAL    SIN.  44:7 

thing  pleasing  to  Him,  and  meritorious  of  eternal  reward ;  it 
deprives  our  souls  of  life,  by  depriving  them  of  sanctifying  grace ; 
it  shuts  heaven  against  us,  and  opens  for  our  reception  hell  with  its 
eternal  torments,  the  bare  idea  of  which  should  fill  us  with  terror. 
How  richly  shall  we  deserve  these  chastisements  if  we  still  continue 
to  offend  God,  who,  to  punish  sin,  delivered  up  his  own  Son  to 
undergo  the  painful  death  of  the  cross !  My  Brethren,  let  us  take 
care  of  our  salvation, — of  our  eternity ;  and  let  us  be  firmly  resolved 
to  lose  all,  to  suffer  all,  to  sacrifice  all  rather  than  commit  a  Mortal 
Sin,  or  remain  at  emnity  with  God;  for  what  doth  it  profit  a  man 
if  he  gains  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  soul  ?  There  is  but  one 
thing  important, — one  thing  necessary, — and  that  is  to  save  our 
souls. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XCII. 

ON  VENIAL  SIN. 


"My  son, take  heed  that  thou  never  consent  to  sin,  nor  transgress  the  command- 
ments of  the  Lord  our  God." — TOBIAS,  iv  :  6. 

MORTAL  sin  kills  the  soul,  deprives  it  of  the  grace  of  God,  strips 
it  of  all  its  merits,  shuts  the  gates  of  heaven  against  it,  and  plunges 
it  into  hell ;  we  must  therefore  detest  it.  There  is  another  kind  of 
sin  which  does  not  deprive  us  of  the  grace  of  God,  but  weakens  it 
in  us ;  which  does  not  merit  the  pains  of  hell,  but  those  of  purga- 
tory and  other  temporal  chastisements,  and  which  but  too  frequently 
disposes  us  to  commit  mortal  sin.  This  sin,  which  is  called  Venial 
Sin,  we  must  also  dread,  hate  and  firmly  resolve  to  avoid.  It  dis- 
pleases God, — it  is  dangerous, — we  must  therefore  shun  it;  this  is 
a  truth  of  which  you  will  be  easily  convinced  if  you  will  honor  me 
with  your  attention. 

What  is  Venial  Sin  ?  Venial  Sin  is  an  offence  against  God  in  a 
light  matter,  or  in  a  grave  and  important  matter,  but  without  full 
consent. 

We  sin  venially  in  two  ways.     First,  through  ignorance,  incon- 


448  SHORT    SERMONS. 

sideration  or  by  surprise,  and  through  a  kind  of  human  weakness, 
which  is  as  it  were  a  species  of  spiritual  infirmity,  to  which  our 
souls  are  subject  in  a  state  of  corrupt  nature.  The  greatest  saints 
were  not  exempt  from  these  kinds  of  Venial  Sins.  In  the  second 
place,  we  sin  venially  with  advertence,  with  deliberate  purpose, 
knowing  well  that  the  actions  which  we  commit  are  sins.  Faults 
become  more  grievous  when  we  join  the  habit  of  committing  them 
to  the  will  and  knowledge  of  sin.  We  would  be  still  more  guilty, 
if  we  fell  into  these  Venial  Sins  without  scruple  and  without 
remorse.  Would  not  this  be  proving  that  we  do  not  fear  displeasing 
and  offending  the  Lord !  Do  we  not  thereby  clearly  and  loudly 
proclaim  that,  if  we  refrain  from  committing  mortal  sin,  it  is  more 
through  fear  of  hell  than  love  of  God  ? 

It  is  above  all,  when  speaking  of  this  last  kind  of  Venial  Sins, 
that  I  believe  myself  justified  in  asserting,  that  we  should  not  con- 
sider them  as  light  evils,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  we  should  view 
them  as  very  great  misfortunes.  Why  so?  Because  these  sins 
tarnish  the  beauty  of  our  souls,  and  render  them  less  pure  and  less 
agreeable  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord ;  because,  if  they  do  not  cause 
us  to  lose  divine  grace,  they  at  least  diminish  our  fervor;  if  they 
do  not  deprive  us  of  the  friendship  of  God,  they  gradually  weaken 
it.  Venial  Sin  is  therefore  a  great  evil.  Why?  Because,  like 
mortal  sin,  it  is  an  act  of  disobedience, — an  exhibition  of  ingrati- 
tude,— a  rebellion  against  God.  And  who  then,  asks  St.  Basil, 
would  dare  call  that  fault  light  which  God  detests, — which  He  has 
often  punished  most  severely,  even  in  this  life,  and  for  which  Pie 
reserves  rigorous  chastisements  in  the  world  to  come  ? 

King  Ezechias  received  embassadors  from  the  king  of  Babylon. 
To  give  them  an  idea  of  his  grandeur  and  power,  he  showed  them 
his  treasures  and  riches.  This  was  but  a  Venial  Sin  of  vain 
glory, — an  act  of  vanity  and  self-love, — a  fault  such  as  we  commit 
every  day  and  which  we  regard  as  scarcely  sinful  before  God. 
Nevertheless,  this  vanity  was  very  displeasing  to  the  Lord  ;  and, 
would  we  believe  it,  if  the  Sacred  Scriptures  had  not  recorded  the 
fact?  The  Lord  said  to  Ezechias  :  "Behold,  the  days  shall  come, 
that  all  that  is  in  thy  house,  and  that  thy  fathers  have  laid  up  in 
store  unto  this  day,  shall  be  carried  into  Babylon  ;  nothing  shall  be 
left,  fiaith  the  Lord.  And  of  thy  sons  also  that  shall  issue  from 


ON    VENIAL    SIN.  44:9 

thee,  whom  thou  shalt  beget,  they  shall  take  away :  and  they  shall 
be  eunuchs  in  the  palace  of  the  king  of  Babylon."*  Thus  it  was 
that  God  punished  a  venial  fault, — a  slight  sin. 

But  what  is  this  punishment  in  comparison  to  the  pains  which 
God  inflicts  upon  Venial  Sins  in  the  fires  of  purgatory  ?  The  souls 
whom  supreme  Justice  detains  there  as  captives  are  holy,  are  a 
cherished  portion  of  His  flock,  heirs  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven ; 
but  they  departed  out  of  this  world  defiled  with  the  stain  of  Venial 
Sin,  and  heaven,  into  which  nothing  defiled  can  enter,  is  shut 
against  them.  One  day  indeed  they  shall  be  received  into  Abra- 
ham's bosom,  but  they  have  first  to  satisfy  the  justice  of  God,  to 
endure  awful  sufferings.  Venial  sin  is,  therefore,  however  trivial  it 
may  be,  a  great  evil,  because  it  offends  God,  because  it  attacks 
God,  because  it  is  the  evil  of  God  himself.  It  is  therefore  never 
lawful  to  commit  it.  No,  though,  to  cure  all  the  maladies  that 
affect  mankind,  to  raise  all  the  dead  to  life,  to  convert  all  heretics 
and  infidels,  to  deliver  from  purgatory  all  the  souls  detained  there, 
to  save  all  the  damned,  you  were  required  to  commit  but  the  least 
Venial  Sin,  you  should  not  commit  it, — you  should  not  sully  your 
soul  with  its  stain.  To  deny  this  is  to  renounce  your  faith. 
Venial  Sin  is  therefore  a  great  evil,  and  I  may  add,  that  it  is  an 
eminently  dangerous  one.  Hear  and  meditate  well  on  these  words 
of  the  Holy  Ghost :  "  He  that  contemneth  small  things  shall  fall 
by  little  and  little."f  And  whither  shall  be  he  borne  in  his  fall  ? 
Alas  !  even  to  the  bottom  of  that  abyss  where  contempt  of  the  law 
of  God  and  of  God  himself,  reigns  supreme.  Listen  to,  and  medi- 
tate well  upon  this  warning  of  the  Son  of  God :  "  He  that  is  faithful 
in  that  which  is  least,  is  faithful  also  in  that  which  is  greater :  And 
he  that  is  unjust  in  that  which  is  little,  is  unjust  also  in  that  which 
is  greater.";];  Venial  Sin,  therefore,  not  only  inflicts  slight  wounds 
upon  our  souls,  cools  the  friendship  of  God  toward  us,  deprives  us 
of  certain  graces,  certain  succors,  which  the  Lord  wished  to  grant 
us,  and  which  would  have  powerfully  aided  us  to  persevere  in  the 
practice  of  our  duties ;  but,  by  diminishing  our  fervor  and  enervat- 
ing our  will,  insensibly  leads  us  into  mortal  sin  and  drags  us 
toward  an  unhappy  eternity. 

»  4  Kings,  xx :  17, 18.  t  Ecclesiasticus,  xix :  1.  $  St.  Luke,  xvi :  10. 

38 


450  SHORT    SERMONS. 

Cast  your  eyes  on  those  that  have  become  notorious  sinners ; 
consider  even  yourselves,  if  you  are  of  the  number  of  those  who 
have  grievously  offended  the  Lord,  and  tell  me  sincerely,  did  you 
commence  your  wicked  career  by  mortal  sins?  Was  it  not  "by 
little  and  little  "  that  you  fell  into  it  ?  "  Man  never  becomes  a  great 
sinner  all  at  once,"  says  St.  Bernard,"  it  is  only  by  degrees  that  he 
reaches  the  bottom  of  the  abyss  of  vice,  as  it  is  only  by  degrees 
that  he  ascends  to  the  summit  of  virtue ;  and  our  perdition,  like 
our  glory,  has  its  principle  in  little  things."  Yes,  sinners,  you 
begin  by  committing  Venial  Sins  without  scruple,  and  you  end  by 
committing  mortal  sins  without  remorse.  Our  crafty  foe  uses  great 
caution  with  respect  to  a  soul  yet  guilty  of  small  things  ;  he  induces 
it,  so  to  speak,  to  advance  by  short  steps  in  the  ways  of  perdition  ; 
he  fears  that  he  would  frighten  it,  were  he  first  to  present  to  it 
mortal  sin  in  all  its  hideousness.  But  he  delays  not  in  obtaining 
more  and  more  an  ascendency  over  the  will  of  him  who  is  indifferent 
to  Venial  Sin ;  by  degrees  he  becomes  his  master,  lords  it  over  him, 
and  then,  great  God  !  whither  shall  he  go,  or  rather  to  what  lengths 
will  he  not  go  ? 

Would  to  God  that  there  were  not  but  too  many  examples  of 
this  sad  truth  !  Alas  !  they  are  to  be  found  everywhere  and  in 
every  age  !  See  that  Christian  who  delights  in  railing  at  his  neigh- 
bor and  backbiting  him.  He  is  not,  I  will  suppose,  guilty  of  very 
injurious  raillery  or  of  grievous  detraction ;  he  commits  as  yet  only 
Venial  Sins.  But  he  persists  in  the  habit,  and  behold  where  it 
soon  leads  him.  At  first,  he  speaks  only  of  public  facts;  his 
censure  falls  only  on  some  slight  defects,  which  those  who  listen 
to  him  have  also  remarked  in  the  person  of  whom  he  speaks,  and 
against  whom  it  is  manifest  he  entertains  an  ill  feeling.  But  his 
ill  feelings  soon  prompt  him  to  give  expression  to  certain  tart  sar- 
casms and  malicious  remarks,  which  being  well  seasoned  with  wit, 
secure  him  applause.  Nor  does  he  stop  here  ;  he  wishes  to  support 
with  the  same  pleasantry  this  conversation,  which  will  soon  prove 
fatal  to  him.  He  lets  escape  certain  ambiguous  words, — words 
which  imply  far  more  than  they  express.  The  curiosity  of  the 
company  is  excited, — they  wish  to  know  what  it  is  that  he  seems* 
desirous  to  conceal, — he  is  pressed  to  tell  all,  and  at  last,  giving  free 
rein  to  his  tongue,  he  defiles  his  soul  by  the  blackest  detraction,  by 


ON    VENIAL    SIN.  451 

the  most  atrocious  calumnies ;  lie  reveals  what  should  never  have 
been  known  and  what  was  his  bounden  duty  to  have  kept  a  profound 
secret.  Do  we  not  witness  these  things  every  day  ?  Let  us  give 
another  example.  How  does  it  happen  that  so  many  young  people 
are  lost  ?  By  associating  with  certain  persons,  who  did  not  appear 
dangerous;  by  complying  with  their  requests,  which  did  not  seem- 
ingly tend  to  crime.  Having  obtained  this  little,  the  enemy  of 
their  salvation  soon  demanded  more,  and  then  venial  faults  led  them 
into  mortal  sin, — and  to  dishonor.  How  came  King  David  to  be 
stained  with  two  awful  crimes  ?  By  a  mere  look.  How  did  Judas 
become  an  object  of  so  much  abhorrence  ?  A  thought  of  avarice 
insinuates  itself  into  his  heart ;  he  nourished  the  viper,  and  it  killed 
him ;  he  is  become  a  miser,  a  traitor,  and  the  murderer  of  his  God. 
St.  Augustine  was  right,  when  he  said:  "He  who  does  not  dread 
and  shun  light  faults,  will  not  remain  long  before  he  becomes  guilty 
of  grievous  sins." 

Let  us  then,  my  Brethren,  carefully  shun  all  evil  ways,  let  us 
never  abandon  ourselves  to  sin,  however  light  it  may  appear,  for  it 
still  is  a  great  evil ;  it  offends  God,  wounds  His  justice,  outrages 
His  sanctity,  provokes  His  anger,  and  conducts  to  mortal  sin. 
God  detests  it, — He  abhors  it.  Do  you  desire  to  know  how  much 
the  Lord  hates  Venial  sin  ?  Suppose  then,  that  by  an  impossibility 
He  were  to  discover  a  single  one  in  the  angels  that  compose  His 
court,  He  would  immediately  banish  them  from  heaven,  and  oblige 
them,  before  they  could  reenter,  to  undergo  a  humiliating  penance. 
What  do  I  say  ? — suppose  that  He  were  to  perceive  the  smallest 
stain  of  the  least  venial  fault  in  Mary,  His  own  beloved,  august 
Mother,  this  Queen  of  Angels  and  of  men,  would  be  compelled  to 
lay  down  her  crown,  to  descend  from  her  throne,  to  quit  heaven, 
and  to  do  penance,  before  she  could  be  readmitted  there.  Such  is 
the  opposition  that  exists  between  the  holiness  of  God  and  the 
hideousness  of  sin.  Let  us  therefore  avoid  all  sin,  whether  grievous 
or  light,  mortal  or  venial.  Let  us  love  and  fear  the  Lord,  and 
neglect  nothing  that  may  enable  us  to  persevere  in  His  service,  and 
ever  remain  faithful  to  His  divine  commandments  ;  let  us  love  God 
above  all  things,  and  then  we  shall  never  offend  Him ;  faithful  in 
small  things,  we  shall  merit  the  happiness  of  being  placed  over 
great  things,  and  of  being  received  into  the  eternal  and  unutterable 
joys  of  our  Lord. — AMEN. 


452  S11OKT    SERMONS. 


SERMON  XCIII. 

ON  THE  CAPITAL  OE  DEADLY  SINS. 

ON  PRIDE. 


"  Never  suffer  pride  to  reign  in  thy  mind,  or  in  thy  words  :  for,  from  it  all  per- 
dition took  its  beginning." — TOBIAS,  iv:  14. 

THE  first  passion  which  we  discover  in  our  hearts  is  self-love.  Is 
this  love  bad  ?  If  well  regulated  it  is  good  and  lawful ;  it  is  sinful 
when  it  becomes  immoderate  and  occasions  other  sins.  This  prime 
mover  of  the  human  heart  is  divided  into  seven  branches  or  pas- 
sions, which  we  call  capital  or  deadly  sins ;  not  because  they  are 
always  mortal,  but  because  they  are  the  heads,  the  cause,  the  begin- 
ning, the  source  of  other  sins.  These  passions  or  sins  are,  Pride, 
covetousness,  lust,  gluttony,  envy,  anger  and  sloth.  I  intend,  my 
Brethren,  to  draw  for  you  a  picture  of  these  vices,  and  of  the  un- 
happy effects  which  they  produce,  that  you  may  conceive  a  horror 
for  them,  and  may  carefully  avoid  them.  I  shall  first  treat  of 
Pride,  which  is,  as  it  were,  the  king  of  sins,  the  principle  of  all 
offences.  What  is  Pride  ?  Pride  is  an  inordinate  love  of  one's- 
self,  and  of  one's  own  excellence,  which  induces  a  man  to  glory  in 
himself,  and  to  set  himself  above  others.  This  is  the  idea  which 
St.  Augustine  gives  us,  and  which  we  naturally  form  of  it.  What 
else  is  Pride,  says  this  holy  doctor,  but  the  passion  and  desire  of 
exalting  ourselves  more  than  we  should?  We  are,  in  truth, 
allowed  to  love  ourselves,  to  esteem  the  qualities,  the  virtues  and 
perfections  which  God  has  bestowed  upon  us,  to  value  highly  the 
talents  and  advantages  with  which  we  are  favored,  and  all  the  other 
gifts  which  we  have  received  from  His  bountiful  providence,  pro- 
vided we  at  the  same  time  acknowledge  that  all  these  blessings  are 
not  our  own,  that  they  come  from  God,  and  that  the  more  we  have 


ON    Pit  IDE.  453 

received  the  more  should  we  be  modest  and  humble,  faithful  and 
grateful  to  the  divine  Author  of  all  these  gifts.  But  this  is  not 
the  way  the  proud  man  acts ;  he  diverts  his  attention  from  God  to 
place  it  on  himself,  as  if  he  were  the  source  and  principle  of  the 
benefits  which  he  possesses,  and  of  the  merits  by  which  he  is  dis- 
tinguished. Is  Pride  then  a  great  sin?  "Yes,"  answers  St. 
Augustine:  "it  is  the  greatest  sin  of  man, — it  is  the  most  grievous, 
the  most  enormous  of  all  the  crimes  that  ever  invaded  the  world." 
In  fact,  the  Holy  Scriptures  tells  us  that  "  the  beginning  of  the  Pride 
of  man,  is  to  fall  off  from  God :  because  his  heart  is  departed  from 
Him  that  made  him ;  for  Pride  is  the  beginning  of  all  sin :  he  that 
holdeth  it,  shall  be  filled  with  maledictions :  and  it  shall  ruin  him 
in  the  end."*  God  requires  us  to  use  for  His  glory  whatsoever  He 
has  given  us,  and  the  proud  man  abuses  all  to  glorify  himself;  what 
injustice !  He  has  the  hardihood  to  encroach  upon  the  rights  of 
God,  attributes  to  himself  a  glory  and  an  honor  which  are  due  to 
God  alone,  and  dares  to  place  himself  upon  an  equality  with  his  Crea- 
tor. Can  there  be  any  thing  more  horrible, — more  injurious  to  the 
divine  Majesty  ?  What  rashness  can  exceed  this  ?  And  must  we  not 
then  call  it  a  great  and  enormous  sin?  Pride  is  a  sin  of  so  heinous 
a  nature  that  it  transformed  an  innumerable  multitude  of  angels 
into  demons, — it  is  in  some  manner  the  especial  sin  of  the  devil, 
since  the  devil  was  the  first  who  committed  it  by  his  revolt  against 
the  Most  High.  Therefore  Satan  is  called  the  prince  of  the  proud. 
I  am  not  then  astonished  that  the  Holy  Ghost  says  that  Pride  is 
odious  before  God  and  before  men,  and  "he  that  holdeth  it,  shall 
be  filled  with  maledictions:  and  it  shall  ruin  him  in  the  end." 
I  am  not  surprised  that  this  sin,  which  has  in  an  instant  changed 
the  splendor  of  a  prince  of  heaven  into  the  blackness  of  a  demon, 
should  entail  the  most  terrible  chastisements  on  the  man  who 
nourishes  it  in  his  heart.  God  has  declared  that  "he  who  exalts 
himself  shall  be  humbled"  and  covered  with  confusion;  because  the 
Lord,  who  gives  every  thing  to  man,  and  receives  nothing  from 
him,  can  not  endure  Pride. 

Aman,  the  minister  of  King  Assuerus,  was  proud ;  he  wished  to 
make  all  bow  before  him.     He  observed  that  the  Jew,  Mardochai, 

*  Eccleaittsticus,  x :  14,  15. 


454  SHORT    SERMONS. 

refused  to  pay  him  homage ;  exasperated  at  the  refusal,  he  swore  in 
his  heart  that  he  would  exterminate  the  nation  to  which  this  man 
belonged.  He  managed  the  affair  so  well  that  he  obtained  from  the 
king  a  decree,  by  which  all  the  Israelites,  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  kingdom,  were  to  be  put  to  death  on  the  same  day. 
He  caused  to  be  erected  a  gibbet  fifty  cubits  high,  upon  which  he 
designed  to  hang  Mardochai.  But  God,  who  watches  over  his 
people,  changed  the  heart  of  the  king  and  confounded  the  Pride  of 
Aman.  The  frightful  designs  of  this  proud  man  were  discovered, 
his  hypocrisy  was  unmasked,  and  he  was  hung  on  the  same  gallows 
which  he  had  prepared  for  the  pious  servant  of  God.*  "  Shame, 
humiliation  and  contempt  shall  overwhelm  the  proud,  and  the  Lord 
shall  destroy  the  house  of  the  proud.  My  son,  never  suffer  Pride 
to  rule  you  either  in  your  thoughts  or  in  your  words,  for  Pride  is 
the  root  of  all  evil."f 

To  convince  you  of  this  truth,  observe  the  conduct  of  the  proud 
man.  He  is  full  of  contempt  for  his  neighbor ;  he  regards  him 
not, — speaks  not  to  him, — treats  him  only  with  contempt  and 
censures  him  with  bitterness.  He  lessens  his  character, — and 
calumniates  him  without  pity;  he  takes  a  malignant  pleasure  in 
lifting  aside  the  veil  which  conceals  from  the  eyes  of  the  public  the 
faults  and  defects  of  his  brethren,  and  he  acts  thus,  because  he 
imagines  that  he  is  much  better  than  his  neighbor  and  far  superior 
to  him.  The  proud  man  is  ambitious  ;  in  his  heart  is  found  an 
immoderate  desire  of  being  distinguished  from  others,  of  elevating 
himself  above  all, — of  obtaining  places,  honors,  and  dignities. 
The  proud  man  is  full  of  vanity  and  ostentation ;  he  boasts  without 
ceasing  of  the  good  qualities  which  he  believes  he  possesses, — even 
claims,  and  very  frequently  attributes  to  himself  those  which  he 
has  not ;  if  he  happen  to  perform  a  good  work,  he  wishes  that  it 
should  be  known  to  every  body,  not  considering  that  the  Lord  says  : 
"woe  to  them  who  do  good  deeds  that  they  may  be  seen  by  men !" 
The  proud  man  is  desirous  of  shining,  hence  he  goes  to  great 
expense  ;  but  he  contracts  debts  and  never  pays  them,  and  even,  to 
procure  money,  he  hesitates  not  having  recourse  to  cunning  and 
fraud.  He  has  a  great  opinion  of  himself;  he  believes  that  he  has 

*  Esther,  vi   vii.  t  Proverbs. 


ON    PRIDE.  455 

more  intelligence  and  judgment  than  others ;  he  supports  his 
opinion  against  every  one, — never  yields, — never  acknowledges 
that  he  is  deceived,  that  he  may  be  in  error,  or  that  he  ought  to  be 
corrected.  He  is  disobedient ;  he  longs  to  be  independent  of  every 
body, — he  detests  the  yoke  of  authority, — he  refuses  to  submit  to 
the  advice  or  the  orders  of  his  superior, — he  is  unwilling  to  humble 
himself  even  before  God,  and  he  violates  without  scruple  and  with- 
out remorse  of  conscience  the  most  sacred  laws  of  God  and  the 
Church.  And  withal  he  is  a  hypocrite ;  for  he  seeks  nothing  so 
much  as  the  esteem  of  men, — he  tries  by  all  means  to  appear  better 
than  he  really  is, — he  artfully  conceals  his  defects,  and  affects  virtues 
which  he  does  not  possess.  In  the  language  of  Scripture,  he  is  a 
white  washed  sepulchre,  which  appears  to  the  eyes  of  men  set  off 
with  ornaments,  but  which  within  contains  only  bones  and  rotten- 
ness. 

Behold,  my  Brethren,  some  of  the  sins  which  Pride  begets.  I 
am  aware  that  the  sins  of  the  proud  man  are  not  always  grievous ; 
but  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert  that,  unless  he  struggle  to  root  out  of 
his  heart  this  dangerous  vice,  it  will  taint  all  his  good  deeds — it 
will  plunge  him,  without  shame  and  without  remorse,  into  the 
greatest  transgressions ;  for  thus  God  punishes  Pride.  To  humble 
and  chastise  the  Pride  of  the  haughty,  the  Lord  permits  them  to  fall 
into  the  most  dreadful  crimes  ;  and  St.  Paul  says,  that  God  delivers 
them  up  to  the  shameful  desires  of  their  hearts,  and  abandons  them 
to  a  reprobate  sense  and  dissolute  passion.* 

My  Brethren,  let  us  not  be  like  "to  a  man  beholding  his  natural 
countenance  in  a  glass :  for  he  beheld  himself,  and  went  his  way, 
and  presently  forgot  what  manner  of  man  he  was."f  You  see  here 
the  hideous  portrait  of  Pride  ;  no  doubt,  it  fills  you  with  horror, 
and  you  are  firmly  determined  never  to  allow  this  vice,  so  odious  to 
God  and  so  hateful  to  men,  to  gain  admittance  into  your  hearts ; 
you  are  resolved  to  expel  it,  if  it  has  already  entered  into  your 
souls.  Yes,  do  so,  for  you  have  no  right  to  be  proud.  Why 
indeed  should  you  be  proud  and  self-conceited  ?  What  have  you  to 
be  proud  of?  Is  it  the  advantages  which  you  possess?  These 
advantages  are  either  corporal  or  spiritual ;  if  corporal,  they  are 

*  Romans,  i.  t  James  i :  23,  24. 


456  SHORT   SERMONS. 

fleeting, — evanescent,  and  must  one  day  end  in  corruption;  if 
spiritual,  it  is  not  in  this  life,  but  in  a  better  one  that  they  must  be 
judged.  Do  you  tell  me  that  you  are  rich, — that  you  have  money  ? 
If  so,  you  have  very  many  duties  which  you  are  bound  to  fulfill : 
you  must  become  the  protectors  of  the  unfortunate, — the  servants 
of  the  poor,  or  you  cease  to  be  Christians ;  and,  if  you  do  not  act 
thus,  take  care  how  you  say  :  "  I  am  rich,  and  made  wealthy,  and  I 
have  need  of  nothing :"  for  before  God  "thou  art  wretched,  and  miser- 
able, and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked."*  But  you  have  talents; 
your  talents  come  from  nature,  and  God  is  the  Author  of  nature  : 
you  must  not  be  proud  then  of  what  you  have  not  made.  You 
belong  to  a  distinguished  family, — you  occupy  a  high  place  in 
society  :  but  all  men  are  born  and  die  in  the  same  way ;  when  God 
shall  judge  them,  it  will  matter  little  whether  they  have  borne  on 
earth  the  crown  of  a  king  or  the  wallet  of  a  beggar.  Let  us  there- 
fore cease  to  ask  :  "who  is  the  greatest  amongst  us  ?"  Remember, 
that  whatever  you  are  and  whatever  you  possess,  you  have  received 
all  from  God,  and  that  from  him  to  whom  much  is  given,  much 
will  be  required.  Let  us  pass  by  as  unworthy  of  our  notice,  what- 
ever is  fleeting,  and  never  attach  our  hearts  to  any  thing  earthly  ; 
let  it  be  our  sole  endeavor  to  use  wisely  and  piously,  for  the  sal- 
vation of  souls  and  the  love  of  God,  and  in  all  humility,  the  riches 
and  the  goods,  which  the  bounty  of  God  has  intrusted  to  our  care. 
Let  us  recollect  that  the  Lord  resists  the  proud  and  gives  His  grace 
to  the  humble ;  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  he  who  exalts  himself, 
shall  be  humbled,  and  that  he  who  humbles  himself  shall  be  exalted. 
AMEN. 

*  Apocalypse  iii:  17. 


ON    AVAKICE    OR    COVETOUSNESS.  457 

SERMON  XCIV. 

ON  AVARICE   OR  COVETOUSNESS. 


"Take  heed  and  beware  of  all  covetousness." — ST.  LUKE,  xii :   15. 

IT  is  not  without  reason  that  in  the  series  of  sins  which  are  called 
capital  or  deadly,  Covetousness  is  placed  immediately  after  pride ; 
for  these  two  base  and  unchristian-like  vices,  both  consist  in  selfish- 
ness. Pride  is  the  selfishness  of  vanity  ;  the  proud  man  wishes  to 
obtain  all  honors.  Covetousness  is  the  selfishness  of  cupidity;  the 
avaricious  man  longs  to  possess  all  riches.  Both  are  equally  ridicu- 
lous and  inhuman.  I  have  already  told  you  what  pride  is  and  the 
sins  which  it  occasions,  and  I  doubt  not  that  you  entertain  a  true 
aversion  for  this  vice  ;  I  wish  to-day  to  inspire  you  with  the  same 
sentiment  of  repugnance  toward  the  vile  sin  of  Avarice. 

What  is  Avarice  ?  According  to  St.  Thomas  and  St.  Bernard, 
Avarice  is  an  excessive  and  immense  love  of  the  goods  which  we 
possess  or  which  we  wish  to  possess.  We  are  avaricious  when  we 
love  and  desire  to  excess  the  goods  of  this  world,  such  as  gold, 
silver  or  lands  ;  when  we  amass  them  with  too  much  avidity,  when 
we  preserve  them  with  too  much  trouble  of  mind,  when  we  are  too 
much  afflicted  at  losing  them,  or  fear  too  much  expending  them. 
From  this  definition  of  Avarice,  it  is  easy  to  conclude  that  the 
poor  as  well  as  the  rich  may  be  swayed  by  this  vice ;  and,  in  fact, 
they  are  guilty  of  Avarice,  if  they  preserve  in  their  hearts  a  too 
ardent  desire  of  possessing  the  goods  of  this  world,  if  they  set  their 
hearts  upon  them  as  rich  people  very  often  do,  who  make  a  god  of 
their  wealth,  and  worship  it.  This  definition  of  Avarice  also  teaches 
us  that  it  is  only  the  inordinate  love  of  gold,  silver  and  earthly 
goods  which  merits  the  name  of  Covetousness,  and  that  this  odious 
name  must  not  be  given  to  the  moderate  desire  of  acquiring  and 
preserving  these  things.  The  father  of  a  family,  who  moderately 
desires  and  struggles  to  amass  sufficient  money,  to  acquire  sufficient 
39 


458  SHORT    S  E  K  M  O  N  B  . 

means  that  he  may  provide  for  his  family  in  a  becoming  manner, 
and  honorably  establish  his  children  in  the  world,  must  not  be  called 
avaricious.  There  is  nothing  inordinate  in  his  desires  ;  he  is  not 
therefore  covetous.  Neither  must  the  man  be  taxed  with  Avarice, 
who  is  sparing  in  his  dress,  maintenance  and  pleasures,  and  by 
his  economy  lays  by  some  of  his  earnings,  not  from  an  excessive 
love  of  money,  but  that  he  may  be  enabled  to  live  in  comfort 
when  he  is  no  longer  able  to  work,  and  that  he  may  not  stand  in 
need  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  should  he  happen  to  be  visited  by 
infirmities  and  sickness. 

You  must  be  careful  and  not  confound  Avarice  with  a  good  and 
wise  economy,  which  is  reason  applied  to  the  management  of  the 
affairs  of  this  world  ;  Avarice  is  a  vice,  —  economy  is  a  virtue. 
Does  not  common  sense  tell  us  that  to  waste  our  substance,  is  to 
commit  an  act  of  folly ;  that  it  would  be  even  criminal  to  spend  in 
prodigal  extravagance,  for  outward  show,  what  is  useful  in  supply- 
ing the  wants  of  our  family?  It  is  not  what  is  needful  for  our 
support,  but  our  superfluities  that  should  become  the  patrimony  of 
the  poor.  An  economical  man,  without  being  covetous,  without 
having  an  excessive  love  for  money,  wisely  manages  his  fortune, 
and  neglects  no  opportunity  of  enlarging  it ;  but  he  makes  use  only 
of  means,  just  in  themselves,  and  which  religion  and  conscience 
approve ; — he  does  not  detach  his  heart  from  God  to  fix  it  on  riches. 
He  knows  that  the  Holy  Spirit  has  said  :  "Take  heed  and  beware 
of  all  Covetousness;"  seek  nothing  that  is  not  just;  and  if  heaven 
bless  his  efforts,  it  will  be  his  desire  to  please  God,  by  practicing 
good  works, — he  will  be  always  ready  to  aid  his  brethren, — he  will 
be  the  father  of  the  poor  and  the  afflicted.  He  will  not  refuse  when 
called  on  to  contribute  what  he  can  toward  feeding  the  hungry, 
clothing  the  naked,  instructing  the  ignorant,  adorning  the  house  of 
God,  or  carrying  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  nations  yet  groping 
in  the  darkness  of  error, — he  is  not  then  avaricious.  God  grants 
him  wealth,  and  he  blesses  the  Lord.  Should  He  take  it  away  from 
him,  he  will  still  bless  His  holy  name. 

Do  you  wish  to  know  the  covetous  person  ?  Is  it  that  man  in 
whom  the  desire  of  obtaining  money  is  the  sole  motive  of  every  thing 
he  does, — of  every  thing  he  undertakes  ;  who  rejoices  immoderately 
in  the  possession  of  temporal  goods,  and  who  is  excessively  afflicted 


ON  AVARICE  OR  COVET  OUSNESS.        459 

at  the  loss  of  them.  It  is  the  man  who  gives  nothing,  or  scarcely 
any  thing  of  his  superfluities  to  the  poor;  who  so  ardently  loves 
what  he  possesses,  and  grasps  it  with  such  tenacity,  that  you  must, 
in  some  measure,  resort  to  violence  to  determine  him  ^o  buy  neces- 
saries for  himself;  it  is  that  man  who  is  never  satisfied  with  the 
wealth  which  he  has  acquired,  with  the  gains  which  he  has  made, 
who  always  longs  to  make  them  greater,  and  whose  craven  appetite 
for  money,  in  the  language  of  Holy  Writ,  never  can  be  satiated.* 
His  desires  have  no  bounds;  and  to  appease  them,— to  satisfy  his 
infernal  thirst  for  gold,  God  alone  knows  what  trouble  he  gives 
himself,  what  pains  he  takes,  what  means  he  employs,  and  how 
many  crimes  he  commits.f  "There  is  not  a  more  wicked  thing 
than  to  love  money :  for  such  a  one  setteth  even  his  own  soul  to 
sale:"J;  because  of  his  injustices,  and  wrongs,  and  injuries,  and 
divers  deceits ;  and  nothing  is  more  wicked  than  the  covetous  man. 
The  desire  of  riches  is  so  deeply  rooted,  and  so  insatiable  m  certain 
avaricious  souls,  that  they  have  no  regard  to  laws  or  the  dictates 
of  justice.  They  defraud, — they  overreach  others, — they  steal, — 
they  are  ever  employed  in  hoarding  up  gold,  without  troubling 
themselves  whether  they  do  so  lawfully  or  unlawfully.  They  are 
resolved  to  make  a  fortune,  to  increase  their  capital  and  extend 
their  possessions;  and  to  attain  their  ends,  they  employ  every 
means,  without  stopping  to  inquire  whether  they  are  guilty  of 
injustice  or  not.  If  such  a  one  is  a  judge  or  a  magistrate,  it  matters 
little  to  him  on  which  side  right  and  justice  are  found, — he  pro- 
nounces in  favor  of  him  who  lodges  the  most  money  in  his  hands. 
Is  he  a  merchant,  he  will  be  found  using  false  weights  and  measures, 
although  God  has  said :  Wo  to  you  that  have  in  your  house 
diverse  weights,  a  greater  and  a  less !  §  He  sells  as  good,  mer- 
chandise which  is  bad,  damaged,  and  full  of  defects,  which  he  takes 
great  care  to  conceal.  If  we  believe  himself,  there  is  no  man  more 
just  than  he  is  in  his  dealings, — he  even  swears  to  what  he  asserts ; 
but  in  the  eyes  of  God,  who  sounds  his  heart,  this  man  is  a  cheat 
and  a  thief.  Is  the  avaricious  man  a  mechanic,  a  laborer  or  a 
domestic  ?  He  is  ready  to  do  every  thing,  to  commit  all  kinds  of  sin 
and  crime ;  there  is  no  artifice,  no  means,  no  matter  how  mean  or 

»  Ecclesiasticus,  v.    f  Dent.,  xxv.    $  Ecclesiasticus,  x:  8,  9,  10.     §  Deut.,  XX7 


460  SHORT    SERMONS. 

shameful,  which  he  will  not  employ  to  obtain  money,  and  increase 
his  property.  To  procure  gold,  the  covetous  man  will  avail  him- 
self of  false  witnesses, — he  fears  not  to  perjure  himself,  and  has  no 
dread  of  committing  theft  or  robbery.  What  do  I  say?  If  to 
attain  wealth,  he  will  have  to  rob  the  poor,  plunder  the  orphan, 
defraud  his  ward,  or  ruin  the  heart-broken  widow, — he  cares  not, — 
he  shuts  his  eyes, — stifles  the  pangs  of  conscience,  and  advances 
boldly  to  perpetrate  the  crime.  The  covetous  man  will  never  let 
loose  his  grasp  on  what  he  holds ;  so  great  is  his  apprehension  of 
being  stripped  of  his  ill-gotten  goods,  that  he  can  never  resolve  to 
restore  what  he  unjustly  possesses ;  he  pays  neither  his  creditors, 
his  servants,  nor  the  unfortunate  tradesmen  who  happen  to  work 
for  him.  But  God  shall  vindicate  the  cause  of  his  oppressed  poor. 
"Behold,  the  hire  of  the  laborers,  who  have  reaped  your  fields  of 
which  you  have  defrauded  them,  crieth  out;  and  the  cry  of  them 
hath  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth."* 

Oh  you,  who  inordinately  hunger  after  riches !  do  you  never 
reflect  that  it  is  not  of  superfluities,  but  of  the  very  necessaries  of 
life,  that  you  deprive  that  family,  whose  earnings  you  withhold. 
See  these  children, — they  are  naked, — they  tremble  with  cold  and 
hunger ;  their  poor  mother  weeps,  and  the  unhappy  father  has  no 
bread  to  break  to  them, — no  raiment  wherewith  to  clothe  them. 
Well  the»,  rejoice  every  night,  because  forsooth  you  have  been 
able  to  add  a  few  more  dollars  to  your  already  well  filled  coffers ; 
hoard  up  your  gold, — hoard  it  up,  and  forget  that  "  the  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire."  But  the  day  will  come  when  you  shall  hear 
these  appalling  words :  I  was  hungry,  and  you  gave  me  not  to 
eat :  I  was  thirsty,  and  you  gave  me  not  to  drink ;  wicked  servant, 
as  long  as  you  did  it  not  to  one  of  these  least  ones,  neither  did  you 
do  it  to  me :  cruel  and  heartless  man,  for  you  there  shall  be  no 
mercy  during  all  eternity,  f 

St.  Anselm  remarks  that  St.  Paul  was  right  when  he  said  that 
riches  are  the  devil's  net,  by  which  he  catches  the  souls  of  men  and 
drags  them  to  perdition.  In  the  acquisition  of  them  they  are  a  net, 
for  rarely  are  they  obtained  without  recourse  being  had  to  unjust 
means.  In  the  possession  of  them  they  are  a  net,  for  the  posses- 

»  St.  James,  v  :  4.  t  St.  Matthew,  xxv. 


ON    AVARICE    OR    COVETOUSNESS. 

sors  too  often  make  of  them  a  god,  and  erect  an  altar  to  them  in 
their  hearts.  But  most  of  all  are  they  a  net  in  the  hour  of  death  ; 
for  then  they  hinder  the  miser  from  making  the  restitution  which 
God,  his  conscience  and  justice  demand.  In  that  hour  does  the 
devil  use  all  his  efforts  to  bind  fast  this  soul  and  precipitate  it  into 
the  abyss,  still  clinging  to  its  unjust  possessions.  Without  resti- 
tution there  is  no  pardon.  Foolish  man !  behold,  God  required  thy 
soul  of  thee,  and, — it  is  lost !  For  whom  are  the  riches  which  you 
have  amassed  ?  Poor  miser,  thou  hast  wearied  thyself  in  vain  in 
the  ways  of  iniquity  !  Hear  the  voice  of  thy  heirs  who  laugh  at  thy 
sordid  parsimony,  and  remember  their  unwilling  benefactor  only 
with  the  contempt  and  the  derisive  joy  which  thy  folly  deserves. 

Yes,  my  Brethren,  Covetousness  is  an  egregious  folly, — it  is  a 
crime;  "take  heed  therefore  and  beware  of  all  Covetousness." 
And  how  shall  you  avoid  this  vice  ?  Have  confidence  in  the  pater- 
nal care  of  divine  Providence.  God  watches  over  you, — He  will 
provide  for  your  wants.  Do  you  not  experience  this  truth  every 
day  ?  Is  it  not  your  God  who  says  that  you  are  dearer  to  Him  than 
the  birds  of  the  air,  that  sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  and  yet 
your  heavenly  Father  feeds  them?  Labor  then, — for  such  is  the 
will  of  God ;  but  be  not  solicitous  about  to-morrow ;  let  not  your 
hearts  be  troubled  with  thoughts  of  the  future, — it  will  come  to  you 
accompanied  by  the  blessings  of  heaven.  Cease  esteeming  and 
desiring  riches  so  much.  You  have  a  Father  who  loves  you  and 
who  will  never  forsake  you  in  the  hour  of  need.  If  God  had  placed 
you  in  abundance,  would  you  be  happier?  Perhaps,  you  would 
have  become  misers,  and  the  miser  is  a  perpetual  torment  to  him- 
self, for  the  more  he  acquires  the  more  he  wants ;  he  suffers  in  the 
very  possession  of  what  he  loves,  and  in  his  abundance  he  is  poor. 

Love  your  neighbor  sincerely  and  charitably  as  you  love  your- 
selves, and  you  will  avoid  Avarice,  which  inclines  us  to  do  to  others 
what  we  would  not  be  willing  that  they  should  do  to  us ;  you  will 
not  seek  to  enrich  yourselves  at  the  expense  of  your  brethren ;  you 
will  be  open,  frank,  just  and  equitable  in  your  dealings  with  them  ; 
you  will  not  be  insensible  to  the  miseries  of  the  poor ;  the  poor 
man  will  love  to  come  to  you,  while  he  shuns  the  miser  as  carefully 
as  the  rich  man  avoids  a  thief;  you  will  remember  every  day  that 
God  has  given  you  riches,  that  you  may  make  a  good  and  holy  use 


462  SHORT    SERMONS. 

of  them,  and  above  all,  that  you  may  be  enabled  to  give  bread  to 
those  who  need  it. 

"  Take  heed  and  beware  of  Covetousness  "  by  considering  that, 
as  you  brought  nothing  into  the  world,  so  you  shall  take  nothing 
out  of  it.  Gold  and  silver  can  neither  preserve  you  from  death,  nor 
add  one  day  more  to  your  life.  The  days  which  God  grants  to 
each  one  of  us  are  very  short,  and,  when  we  shall  reach  the  fatal 
term,  the  greater  our  wealth  shall  be,  the  greater  too  shall  be  our 
pain  in  dying  and  leaving  all  behind.  Remember  that  too  great  an 
attachment  to  the  good  things  of  this  world,  causes  us  to  lose  all 
love  for  the  goods  of  the  life  to  come, — the  only  lasting, — the  only 
true  goods, — the  only  goods  worthy  of  our  labor  and  our  love.  If 
the  Lord  has  favored  you  with  the  goods  of  fortune,  be  not  attached 
to  them,  but  raise  your  hearts  above  them,  so  that,  as  St.  Francis 
of  Sales  tells  us,  in  the  midst  of  riches,  we  may  be  without  riches. 
You  can  not  serve  two  masters, — God  and  mammon.  Prefer  God, 
the  source,  the  principle  and  the  Author  of  all  riches.  In  Him  is 
found  every  thing  beautiful,  great,  rich  and  precious,  and  He  will 
give  himself  entirely  to  you  in  heaven,  where  He  will  be  your 
reward  exceeding  great.  "  What  doth  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain 
the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  To  redeem  this  soul,  gold 
and  silver  were  valueless;  it  required  the  blood  of  a  God.  Esteem 
your  soul  then,  endeavor  to  fit  it,  to  enrich  it  for  heaven,  and  you 
will  avoid  Avarice,  the  inordinate  love  of  the  false  goods  of  earth  ; 
you  will  avoid  Avarice,  that  odious  and  dangerous  vice  ;  you  will 
love  and  practice  charity,  the  divine  virtue  which  makes  you  loved 
by  God  and  opens  for  you  heaven. — AMEN. 


ON    LUST    OR    IMPURITY.  463 


SERMON  XCV. 

ON  LUST  OR  IMPURITY 


"God  hath  not  called  us  to  uncleanness,  but  to  holiness." — 1  THKSSALONIANS,  iv:  7. 

HAD  we  a  perfect  resemblance  to  our  forefathers  in  the  faith, — to 
the  Christians  of  the  primitive  Church,  whose  lives  were  so  holy, 
and  whose  hearts  were  so  pure,  I  might  say  :  it  is  not  necessary 
for  me  to  speak  of  the  third  capital  sin  to  those  that  come  here  to 
listen  to  the  word  of  God  ;  they  detest  this  vice,  and,  following  the 
advice  of  St.  Paul,  the  degrading  sin  of  Lust  is  "neither  known 
nor  named  amongst  us  ;  every  one  of  us  knows  how  to  possess  his 
vessel  in  honor  and  sanctification  ;  not  in  the  passion  of  Lust,  like 
the  Gentiles,  who  know  not  God  ;"  and  we  delight  to  recall  to 
mind  that,  "God  hath  not  called  us  to  uncleanness,  but  to  holi- 
ness/' But,  alas  !  my  Brethren,  such  is  not  the  case  in  our  unhappy 
times  ;  Lust,  far  from  being  unknown,  is  the  cause  of  the  ruin  of 
an  innumerable  multitude  of  souls,  and  the  greatest  efforts  must  be 
made  to  prevent  this  frightful  evil  from  spreading  further.  May  I 
obtain  this  salutary  result  by  once  more  telling  you  how  dangerous 
and  how  criminal  is  the  vice  of  Lust. 

What  is  Lust  ?  Lust  or  Impurity  is  a  criminal  affection  for 
pleasures  contrary  to  the  virtue  of  Christian  chastity;  it  is  an 
inordinate  desire  for  the  unclean  delights  of  the  flesh.  It  is  this 
sin  which  sensual  men  wish  to  regard  as  a  light  fault,  and  which 
they  represent  to  us  as  the  necessary  and  inevitable  effect  of  human 
frailty.  It  may  indeed  be  that  it  is  inevitable  for  those  proud 
people  who,  in  their  criminal  presumption,  lean  only  on  their  own 
strength,  and  neglect  the  fountains  of  grace  and  virtue,  prayer  and 
the  sacraments,  which  our  divine  Lord  has  established  to  render  us 
strong  and  holy ;  but  it  is  not  the  less  culpable  in  them.  No  !  Lust 


464  SHORT    SERMONS. 

is  not  a  light  fault ;  to  punish  it,  the  Lord  destroyed  the  world  by 
a  deluge,  when  all  flesh  had  corrupted  its  way  ;  to  punish  it,  He 
commanded  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  the  cities  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrha,  the  cry  of  their  immodesties  having  ascended  to  His 
throne.  The  Lord  knew  well  the  weakness  of  these  men,  never- 
theless, He  did  not  hesitate  to  break  them  with  a  sceptre  of  iron  ; 
it  was  by  their  own  fault  they  had  become  vessels  of  impurity,  and 
consequently  horrible  in  His  sight ;  and,  therefore,  it  was  that  He 
rejected  them.  Man  must  possess  his  body  in  sanctity  arid  honor. 
We,  especially,  my  Brethren,  should  comprehend  perfectly  the  im- 
portance of  this  obligation,  and  the  enormity  of  the  sin  of  Lust. 
We  have  the  happiness  of  being  Christians ;  at  the  holy  font  of 
baptism,  we  became  members  of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  formed 
of  His  flesh  and  bone;  in  the  Holy  Eucharist,  we  received  this 
divine  Son  of  the  heavenly  Father,  and  St.  Cyril  says,  that  our 
bodies  belong  more  to  Him  than  to  ourselves.  In  Baptism  and  at 
Confirmation,  the  Divine  Spirit  descended  into  our  hearts,  and  we 
became  His  living  temples.  I  ask  you  now,  my  Brethren,  is 
impurity  a  slight  fault?  Christians,  when  you  give  yourselves  up 
to  the  base  and  infamous  vice  of  Lust,  what  is  it  you  do  ?  I  dare 
not  repeat  to  you  the  words  by  which  the  Apostle  stigmatizes  your 
crime,  I  content  myself  with  saying  that  you  dishonor  the  body  of 
Jesus  Christ, — that  you  make  it  the  instrument  of  your  shameful 
actions, — that  you  defile  and  profane  the  temple  of  God,  and  intro- 
duce abomination  into  the  sanctuary.  What  an  awful  sacrilege  ! 
Can  we  be  astonished  at  hearing  the  Apostle  declare  that  fornicators 
and  the  unclean  shall  never  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  For, 
how  could  he  who  dares  to  drag  in  the  mire  the  image  of  God  and 
the  body  of  Jesus,  be  admitted  among  the  number  and  receive  the 
rewards  of  the  blessed  inhabitants  of  heaven? 

Lust  is  a  grievous  sin,  a  very  grievous  sin  ;  it  is  certain  that  all 
offences  in  this  matter,  however  trivial  they  may  appear,  are  always 
mortal  when  they  are  perfectly  voluntary  and  committed  with 
advertence.  Do  not  deceive  yourselves,  by  supposing  that  none 
but  heinous  crimes  of  Lust  lead  to  perdition ;  the  reading  of  a  bad 
book,  an  impure  song,  and  immodest  conversation,  an  action,  even 
a  thought,  a  simple  desire  of  the  flesh,  is  enough  to  ruin  your  soul 
and  cause  its  eternal  damnation.  Has  not  our  divine  Saviour 


ON    LUST    OR    IMPURITY.  465 

declared :  "  Whosoever  shall  look  on  a  woman  to  Lust  after  her, 
hath  already  committed  adultery  with  her  in  his  heart?"* 

"Blessed  are  the  clean  of  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God  ;  but  woe 
to  those  who  give  themselves  up  to  Lust,  for  this  dangerous  enemy 
will  not  be  alone  in  the  heart  where  it  reigns ;  this  impure  spirit 
will  be  accompanied  by  many  other  spirits  as  wicked  as  itself.  In 
fact,  the  number  of  sins  to  which  Lust  gives  birth  is  almost  infinite; 
it  is  the  fruitful  parent  of  a  multitude  of  evils. 

God  and  nature  command  us  to  respect,  honor  and  love  our 
parents.  Every  day,  our  good  behavior  toward  them,  and  the  con- 
stant practice  of  obedience  should  prove  to  them  that  we  really 
know  how  to  appreciate  what  they  have  done  and  still  continue  to 
do  for  our  bodies  and  our  souls,  to  promote  our  present  as  well  as 
our  future  welfare,  and  render  us  happy  for  time  and  eternity.  This 
is  a  sacred  duty  which  we  owe  them.  But  the  unfortunate  slave  of 
Lust  shamelessly  and  continually  violates  this  duty.  He  was  once 
mild  and  docile  :  why  is  he  now  neither  submissive  nor  docile,  nor 
kind,  nor  affectionate  toward  his  parents  ?  Why  is  he  so  arrogant, 
so  haughty,  so  insolent,  so  hard-hearted  to  his  father  and  mother  ? 
Because  they  perceive  his  misconduct  and  the  vile  acts  to  which  he 
is  addicted,  and  they  wish  to  correct  him.  These  good  parents 
endeavor  to  bring  him  back  to  the  ways  of  virtue,  and  he  gets 
angry,  becomes  indignant  at  their  reprimands  and  reproaches,  and 
rebels  against  their  authority.  His  shameful  passion  has  got  the 
command  over  him,  and  the  voice  of  nature  and  the  voice  of  God 
no  longer  have  power  over  his  soul ;  he  knows  not  how  any  longer 
to  love  his  father  and  his  mother.  Beside,  he  becomes  slothful  and 
detests  labor.  He  is  addicted  to  lies,  is  deceitful,  full  of  cunning 
and  of  artifices  to  elude  their  vigilance  and  escape  their  notice.  He 
must  have  money  to  spend  in  his  debaucheries,  and  will  steal  it 
whenever  he  has  an  opportunity  of  doing  so.  If  he  be  accused, 
you  will  hear  him  utter  false  oaths  and  call  God  to  witness  his 
innocence ;  he  does  not  even  fear  to  cast  suspicion  on  his  brothers 
and  sisters,  or  on  the  poor  servants  who  have  never  known  injustice. 

The  husband  and  wife  must  love  one  another,  mutually  help  one 
another,  labor  together  to  increase  their  store,  and  assist  each  other 

*  St.  Matthew,  v :  28. 


466  SHORT    SERMONS. 

in  educating  their  children.  Now,  can  the  husband  and  wife  who 
give  themselves  up  to  a  criminal  passion, — to  Lust,  can  they  dis- 
charge these  sacred  duties  ?  From  the  moment  that  one  of  them 
for.sakes  the  path  of  virtue,  trouble  and  division  enter  into  the 
house,  and  this  couple,  recently  so  intimately  united,  pass  their  days 
in  hatred,  disputes  and  quarrels;  they  insult,  outrage  and  deceive 
one  another.  They  have  no  care  for  their  children ;  it  matters  little 
to  them  whether  they  turn  to  good  or  evil.  They  neglect  their 
business,  squander  their  property,  spend  their  means  and  scatter 
money  with  a  profuse  hand  on  the  wicked  accomplices  of  their 
guilt,  and  often,  after  having  scandalized  their  neighbor  by  their 
disorders,  end  their  career  in  the  most  frightful  misery.  Alas  !  my 
Brethren,  have  we  not  seen  the  husband  and  wife  employing  poison 
and  the  dagger  to  sever  the  sacred  tie  which  impeded  the  accom- 
plishment of  their  wicked  designs  ?  There  is  no  crime,  no  trans- 
gression which  this  violent  passion  does  not  beget:  it  causes  duels, 
suicides,  murders,  assassinations  and  parricides  !  Children  have 
been  known  to  steep  their  hands  in  their  father's  or  mother's  blood 
to  secure  the  indulgence  of  this  shameful  vice. 

But  you  say  :  we  never  go  so  far;  we  may  commit  sins  against 
purity,  for  we  are  weak ;  but  these  awful  crimes  which  you  describe, 
we  never  perpetrate.  I  believe  you,  my  Brethren,  and  I  hope  that 
such  horrid  deeds  will  never  take  place  among  you :  that  we  shall 
never  see  here  duels,  murders,  infanticides  or  assassinations.  But 
shall  we  not  behold  another  misfortune, — an  irreparable  misfortune, 
one  which  fills  me  with  terror  and  with  grief, — final  impenitence  ? 
There  is  no  sin  that  more  effectually  darkens  the  mind  and  hardens 
the  heart  than  the  vile  sin  of  Impurity.  As  soon  as  the  fire  of 
passion  gets  possession  of  a  man,  he  can  no  longer  see  the  Son  of 
justice,  who  is  Jesus  Christ ;  he  can  no  longer  direct  his  conduct 
according  to  the  holy  maxims  of  the  Gospel.  The  animal  in. -in 
has  no  taste  for  the  things  of  God  ;*  he  desires  only  the  earth  and 
the  pleasure  which  he  finds  in  the  mire  of  his  unclearmess ;  his 
soul  and  his  eternity  concern  him  little.  If  he  approach  the  sacra- 
ments, it  is  through  hypocrisy,  to  veil  the  baseness  of  his  conduct, 
or  through  human  respect,  and  to  escape  the  reproaches  of  his 


*  1  Corinthians. 


ON    ENVY.  467 

father,  his  mother,  or  some  other  person  whom  he  is  forced  to  regard. 
He  goes  to  confession,  but  conceals  this  shameful  sin;  he  heaps 
sacrilege  on  sacrilege,  and  continues  doing  so  to  the  end.  On  his 
death-hed  his  last  confession  and  communion  are  new  sacrileges 
added  to  a  life  of  sensuality  and  debauchery,  and  his  impure  soul 
falls  into  the  hands  of  the  living,  all-holy  God, — black  with  in- 
famies. 

I  entreat  you,  my  Brethren,  to  harken  well  to  these  words  of  St. 
Bernard:  "As  soon  as  an  immodest  thought  enters  your  mind, 
resist  it  with  vigor,  and  it  will  leave  you  ;  but,  if  you  harbor  and 
dwell  upon  it,  it  will  produce  in  your  hearts  a  pleasure  fatal  to  your 
innocence  ;  this  pleasure  will  lead  you  to  consent,  consent  to  action, 
action  to  habit,  habit  to  necessity,  and  necessity  to  eternal  death." 
Oh  no !  l«t  it  never  be  thus  with  you ;  remain  constantly  virtuous, 
fly  sin,  keep  yourselves  removed  from  all  occasions  of  danger,  dread 
improper  words,  impure  conversations,  and  continue  faithful  to  this 
admonition  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales:  "Have  no  intercourse  with 
persons  whose  morals  you  know  to  be  tainted  by  sensuality,  above 
all,  when  impudence  is  joined  to  Impurity,  which  is  almost  always 
the  case.  There  are  basilisks  which  carry  their  venom  in  their  eyes 
and  in*  their  breath."  Pray  to  the  Lord,  for  it  is  only  by  His  grace 
that  you  can  be  chaste  and  pure ;  beseech  Him  then  that  He  may 
give  you  grace,  strength  and  wisdom,  and  that  you  may  never  cease 
to  love  the  angelic  virtue  of  holy  purity. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XCVI. 

ON  ENVY. 


"Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will?    Is  thy  eye  evil,  because  I  am 
good? — ST.  MATTHEW  xx:  15. 

THE  Gospel  tells  us  that  the  father  of  a  family  went   out  at 
different  hours  of  the  day,  and  each  time  hired  laborers,  whom  ho 


468  SHORT    SERMONS. 

sent  into  his  vineyard  to  work.  When  evening  came,  he  gave  to 
all  the  same  wages.  Those  who  had  worked  all  day  began  to  mur- 
mur, and  the  master  of  the  family  said  to  them  :  "Is  it  not  lawful 
for  me  to  do  what  I  will  ?"  Can  not  I  do  as  I  please  with  my  own  ? 
"Is  thy  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good?'*  Why  are  you  jealous  and 
envious  of  the  advantages  which  I  grant  to  these  people  ?  Are 
they  not  your  brethren,  and  must  not  they  give  bread  to  their  child- 
ren? If  I  see  proper  to  confer  favors  on  them,  you  ought  to  rejoice 
at  it ;  but  Envy  is  in  your  hearts,  and  hence  you  murmur  and 
complain.  Envy  reigns  everywhere,  in  every  state,  in  eveiy  con- 
dition. May  God  grant  you  grace  to  detest  and  dread  this  sin,  and 
to  drive  entirely  from  your  hearts  this  vice,  so  odious  and  so  fruitful 
in  sin. 

What  is  Envy  ?  Envy  is  a  sadness  which  a  man  feels  at  his 
neighbor's  success,  or  a  malignant  joy  which  he  entertains  at  the 
misfortunes  of  others,  considering  his  neighbor's  success  as  some- 
thing opposed  and  hurtful  to  his  own  honor  and  interest,  and  the 
calamities  of  others  as  a  benefit  to  himself. 

Envy  is  a  sin  which  of  its  nature  imparts  death  to  the  soul.  It  is 
an  unchristian  and  inhuman  vice.  It  places  a  man  in  a  state  of 
perpetual  opposition  to  the  holy  will  of  God ;  it  renders  him 
hard-hearted,  insensible,  and  incapable  of  henceforth  loving  his 
neighbor  or  of  loving  himself. 

The  envious  man  sets  himself  up  in  opposition  to  the  will  of 
God :  he  is  unwilling  to  submit  to  the  order  which  divine  Provi- 
dence has  established  in  the  world.  Jealous  of  others,  he  finds 
fault  with  them,  frets,  is  troubled  and  vexed  at  their  happiness  ; 
does  he  not  hereby  attack  and  censure  God  himself?  Does  he  not 
blame  His  designs,  insult  His  wisdom,  and  in  some  measure,  accuse 
Him  of  partiality  and  injustice  in  the  distribution  which  He  has 
made  of  the  goods  of  this  world?  "With  the  Lord  there  is  no 
exception  of  persons,"  and  He  disposes  all  things  with  supreme 
wisdom ;  let  man  therefore  adore  the  ways  of  God :  is  it  not  lawful 
for  Him  to  do  what  He  wills  ?  Is  man's  eye  evil,  because  the  Lord 
is  good  ? 

Our  divine  Saviour  says  to  us:  "I  give  you  a  new  command- 
ment, that  you  love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  you.  By  this  shall 
all  men  know  that  you  are  my  disciples,  if  you  love  one  another." 


ON    ENVY.  469 

True  charity  is  the  distinctive  mark  of  the  Christian ;  it  is  this  that 
renders  us  like  unto  our  blessed  Lord ;  it  is  this  that  makes  us  so 
many  images  of  God,  who  is  essentially  goodness  and  charity. 
Therefore,  the  Apostle  St.  John  bids  us  :  "Love  one  another,  for 
this  is  enough."  But  what  is  the  office  of  this  virtue  of  charity,  so 
holy,  and,  at  the  same  time  so  necessary,  that  "he  who  has  it  not 
abides  in  death  ?"  St.  Paul  assures  us  that  it  consists  in  rejoicing 
with  those  that  rejoice,  and  weeping  with  those  that  weep.  Why  ? 
The  Apostle  answers,  because  we  are  all  members  of  one  and  the 
same  body,  whose  head  is  Jesus  Christ.  In  the  human  body,  there 
exists  so  great  a  union,  and  so  great  a  sympathy  between  the 
members  that  compose  it,  that,  if  one  of  them  surfers,  all  the  others 
take  part  in  its  pain ;  and,  if  it  be  sound  and  healthy,  all  the  others 
rejoice  with  it :  in  like  manner,  the  Christian  ought  to  experience 
a  sentiment  of  sadness  and  affliction,  whenever  any  misfortune  or 
affliction  befalls  his  neighbor ;  and  he  should  rejoice  at  the  happiness 
and  prosperity  of  his  brethren  as  he  rejoices  at  his  own.  These  are 
the  worthy,  noble  and  generous  sentiments  which  charity  inspires. 
The  envious  person  knows  them  not. 

There  is  no  possible  alliance  between  light  and  darkness  ;  there 
is  still  less  between  Christian  charity  and  the  inhuman  vice  of  Envy. 
Instead  of  rejoicing  at  the  happiness  of  his  brother,  the  envious 
man  is  saddened  and  afflicted  at  it ;  instead  of  helping  to  raise  him 
up,  he  labors  to  undermine  him  in  his  business,  and  to  thwart  him 
in  his  undertakings ;  instead  of  wishing,  he  fears  and  dreads  his 
success.  The  Holy  Spirit  says  :  "Be  ye  joyful  with  them  that  are 
in  joy  ;  be  ye  sad  with  them  that  are  in  sadness."  No,  says  the 
envious  man;  but,  on  the  contrary,  be  full  of  joy  when  your  brother 
suffers,  be  sad  when  he  is  in  joy. 

The  envious  man  therefore  can  not  love  his  neighbor ;  can  he  at 
least  love  himself?  No ;  for  he  harbors  in  his  heart  a  passion,  of 
its  own  nature  baneful  to  his  health,  which  embitters  his  whole 
existence.  Night  and  day,  the  sight  and  remembrance  of  the  pros- 
perity and  happiness  of  others  pursue  him,  torment  and  gnaw 
his  heart.  He  loves  not  himself,  for  he  robs  his  soul  of  its  finest 
ornaments ;  he  strips  it  of  every  sentiment  of  generosity  and 
benevolence ;  deprives  himself  of  the  friendship  of  heaven, — rejects 
the  grace  of  God ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  renders  himself  unworthy 


470  SHORT    SERMONS. 

of  the  esteem  and  love  of  his  fellow  men.  The  envious  man  there- 
fore is  his  own  executioner. 

In  the  heart  which  .Envy  governs,  there  is  no  peace  with  God,  no 
conformity  and  submission  to  His  holy  will,  no  love  of  the  neigh- 
bor, no  true  love  of  self.  St.  Augustine  says,  that  Envy  is  a  dia- 
bolical sin,  and  St.  Paul  in  his  epistle  to  the  Galatians*  tells  us 
that  envious  persons  deserve  eternal  death,  and  that  they  who  are 
guilty  of  this  vice  "shall  not  obtain  the  kingdom  of  God,"  for 
Envy  despoils  man  of  every  virtue,  and  drags  him  into  a  vast 
number  of  sins  no  less  odious  than  itself.  It  begets  detractions, 
calumnies',  injustice,  persecution,  and  even  sometimes  leads  to  murder. 

The  envious  man  frequently  has  recourse  to  the  most  odious 
insinuations;  it  costs  him  little  to  calumniate  and  blacken  the 
character  of  him  whom  God  blesses  and  favors.  A  man  enjoys 
the  confidence  of  the  people,  and  his  business  is  in  a  flourishing 
condition:  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  malicious  hints  of  his  neighbor 
who  envies  his  success,  and  seeks,  by  insidious  words,  to  cast  upon 
him  unjust  suspicions  :  he  will  speak  to  you  of  frauds  in  weights 
and  measure,  and  of  cheating  in  the  quality  of  the  goods  that  you 
buy,  but  hearken  not  to  him.  Another  man,  active,  vigilant  and 
laborious,  aided  by  the  Divine  protection,  succeeds  in  his  enter- 
prises, and  advances  rapidly  in  the  road  of  fortune.  Take  care  of 
what  the  envious  man,  who  is  jealous  of  his  prosperity,  will  say 
about  him.  "I  would  like  to  know,"  he  says,  "how  this  man  gets 
rich  so  soon ;  we  must  suspect  the  honesty  of  him  who  can  make 
a  fortune  in  a  few  days."  Another  happens  to  be  elected  or  ap- 
pointed to  a  post  of  honor.  The  envious  man  strips  him  of  every 
noble  quality  of  mind  and  heart,  ridicules  him  and  holds  him  up  to 
public  contempt,  as  a  person  possessing  a  head  without  brains,  and 
a  heart  destitute  of  every  generous  impulse.  A  fine  and  noble  deed 
has  been  performed, — and  every  one  applauds  it ;  but  these  en- 
comiums press  heavily  upon  the  heart  of  the  envious  man.  He  can 
not  deny  the  fact,  but  he  will  impeach  the  intention.  In  this  work, 
so  noble  and  praiseworthy,  he  discovers  only  self-love,  hypocrisy, 
ambition,  the  desire  of  praise,  or  other  motives  still  more  repre- 
hensible. Thus  do  the  envious  scatter  the  tares  and  cockle  of 


*  Galatians,  v. 


ON    ENVY.  471 

detraction  and  calumny  among  the  good  grain  in  tlie  field  of  the 
father  of  the  family  ;  nor  will  he  stop  here.  Often  are  his  projects 
cruel,  frightful  and  horrible,  and  to  accomplish  them,  he  scruples  no 
means,  however  base  and  criminal ;  he  resorts  to  cunning  and 
violence,  to  larceny  and  robbery,  and,  as  the  Scriptures  says,  in- 
justice fills  his  hands.  To  glut  his  detestable  passion,  will  he  not, 
at  least,  dread  the  shedding  of  blood  ?  Alas  !  history  is  full  of  the 
crimes  which  Envy  has  produced.  It  was  Envy  that  nerved  the 
arm  of  Cain  to  strike  down  his  brother;  Envy  cast  Joseph  into  a 
pit  to  die,  and  then  united  with  avarice  to  sell  him  into  slavery ; 
it  was  Envy,  in  a  word,  that  drove  the  Jews  to  perpretate  the  most 
awful  of  crimes, — the  murder  of  the  Son  of  God.  Justly  then  did 
St  Cyprian  call  Envy  the  source  of  every  evil,  the  origin  of  murders, 
and  of  an  infinite  number  of  sins.  Hence,  Envy  imparts  to  the 
countenance  of  those  whom  it  possesses  a  dark  and  sinister  appear- 
ance,— a  sad  and  touching  effect  of  the  Divine  foresight,  which  thus 
warns  us  to  avoid  the  envious. 

Divine  Providence  rules  and  governs  all  things  in  the  world. 
Caprice  has  naught  to  do  in  the  distribution  which  He  makes  of  the 
goods  of  earth.  The  Lord  portions  them  to  His  children,  con- 
formably to  the  decrees  of  His  eternal  wisdom  and  bounty  ;  to 
some  He  gives  much,  to  others  less,  but  always  in  accordance  with 
His  wise  and  adorable  views.  It  can  not  be  otherwise,  for  God 
is  just  and  loves  us  all.  Let  us  therefore  ever  respect  the  ways  of 
the  Lord,  and  take  care  not  to  be  jealous  of  our  neighbor, because 
of  the  riches  which  God  gives  him.  Why  are  you  not  contented 
with  the  state  in  which  yon  are  ?  It  is  the  hand  of  God  that  has 
placed  you  there.  If  you  had  received  more,  perhaps  you  would 
be  lost.  Do  you  not  know  that  men  frequently  become  avaricious 
when  they  possess  rich  treasures  and  vast  revenues  ?  Do  you  not 
know  that  the  avaricious  are  insensible  to  the  miseries  of  the  poor, 
that  they  never  open  their  hands  to  help  their  suffering  and  starving 
brethren,  and  that  they  are  lost  for  all  eternity  ;  for  it  is  written, 
"that  the  covetous  shall  never  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ?" 
Never  desire  to  possess  too  much  wealth, — it  is  dangerous,  and 
God  will  require  much  of  him  to  whom  much  has  been  given.  If 
you  are  poor,  you  may  desire  to  obtain  a  sufficiency  to  promote 
your  earthly  comfort,  for  this  is  reasonable  ;  but  labor  to  acquire  it 


472  SHORT    SERMONS. 

instead  of  envying  the  goods  which  others  have  obtained  by  their 
toil.  If  God  wishes  to  retain  you  in  mediocrity,  remember  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  warns  us  that  it  is  there  we  can  most  easily  work 
out  our  salvation.  Learn  therefore  to  be  satisfied  with  what  you 
possess  of  the  goods  of  this  world,  which  you  must  abandon  at  the 
hour  of  death ;  and  enrich  your  souls,  for  you  can  do  so,  with  those 
goods  which  will  follow  you  into  eternity  :  that  is  to  say,  be  just 
and  good,  pious  and  charitable,  love  God  and  your  neighbor ;  be 
patient  in  trials  and  afflictions,  benevolent  in  prosperity  and  in 
every  condition  of  life,  according  to  your  means  ;  these  are  the  true 
goods, — the  only  true  riches,  by  means  of  which  you  can  purchase 
a  place  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — AMEN. 


SERMON  XCVII. 

ON  GLUTTONY  OR  INTEMPERANCE. 


"And  take  heed  to  yourselves,  least  perhaps  your  hearts  be  overcharged  with 
surfeiting  and  drunkenness." — ST.  LUKE,  xxi :  34. 

EXCEEDINGLY  dangerous  and  subtle  is  the  artifice,  which  the  devil, 
the  enemy  of  our  salvation,  has  recourse  to,  when  he  induces  a  man 
to  make  use  of  the  very  blessings  he  has  received  from  Almighty 
God  to  offend  His  divine  Majesty.  Bread  and  wine, — food  and 
drink  were  given  to  man  to  enable  him  to  live,  to  preserve  his  body 
in  health  and  strength,  that  he  might,  for  a  longer  time,  render  to 
his  Creator  the  worship  and  homage  which  are  due  him.  But  the 
infernal  spirit  ceases  not  soliciting  us  to  abuse  these  gifts  in  gratify- 
ing our  sensuality,  to  convert  these  treasures  of  the  bounty  and 
liberality  of  our  heavenly  Father  into  treasures  of  sin  and  crime, 
by  using  them  to  excess.  It  is  in  this  the  sin  of  Gluttony  consists, 
of  which  I  propose  speaking  to  you  in  this  instruction,  and  against 
which  our  divine  Saviour  seeks  to  forewarn  us  when  He  says  :  "  Take 


ON    GLUTTONY    OB    INTEMPERANCE.  473 

heed  to  yourselves,  lest  perhaps  your  hearts  be  overcharged  with 
surfeiting  and  drunkenness." 

Gluttony  is  an  inordinate  love  of  eating  and  drinking.  The  most 
dangerous  kind  of  gluttony  is  drunkenness,  which,  nevertheless,  is 
nlso  the  most  common,  in  the  country  and  in  cities,  among  the  rich 
as  well  as  the  poor.  We  are  Christians,  and  we  should  all  say 
with  St.  Augustine:  "Thou  hast  taught  me,  O  Lord,  to  take  my 
food  as  men  take  medicine,  that  they  may  recruit  strength,  may 
recover  and  preserve  the  health  of  their  bodies."  We  should  never 
lose  sight  of  those  beautiful  words  of  the  Apostle  :  "  Therefore, 
whether  you  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  else  you  do  ;  do  all  things 
for  the  glory  of  God."*  We  will  follow  this  advice  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  if  we  take  nourishment  only  according  to  our  wants,  and 
not  to  gratify  our  sensual  appetities.  But  there  are  people,  who, 
after  having  abundantly  satisfied  what  the  body  and  health  demand, 
are  not  yet  content ;  they  eat  and  drink  without  necessity, — they 
eat  and  drink  even  to  excess,  nay,  they  even  materially  injure  their 
health,  and  render  themselves  incapable  of  discharging  the  indis- 
pensable duties  of  their  state ;  they  drink  until  they  are  drunk, — 
until  they  are  deprived  of  the  use  of  reason.  Very  often  such 
persons  as  these  commit  mortal  sin  by  their  excess. 

Are  these  excesses  criminal  before  God  ?  Who  can  doubt  it  ? 
Is  not  this  a  vice  diametrically  opposed  to  nature  and  to  man's 
vocation  ?  You  have  been  taught  from  your  childhood  this  truth, 
which  has  passed  into  a  proverb  :  that  we  must  not  live  to  eat,  but  eat 
to  live.  What !  is  not  that  degrading  vice  a  crime,  which  robs  man 
of  his  noblest  ornament  and  deprives  him  of  the  most  precious  gift 
which  he  has  received  from  the  bounty  of  his  Creator?  What  is  this 
gift :  what  is  this  ornament  ?  It  is  reason.  It  is  it  that  renders  man 
like  to  the  angels,  and  that  constitutes  his  chief  and  greatest  glory. 
He  should  make  every  exertion  to  preserve  it  in  all  its  integrity,  while, 
on  the  contrary,  by  abandoning  himself  to  intemperance,  he  not  only 
consents  to  what  weakens  it,  but  very  frequently  destroys  it  forever, 
as  sad  experience  daily  proves.  He  degrades  himself,  even  to  the 
level  of  the  brute  beast.  How  disgraceful  it  is  for  a  rational  being 
to  reduce  himself  to  such  a  state  that  we  can  not  perceive  a  difference 


*  1  Corinthians,  x:  31. 
40 


474:  SHORT    SERMONS. 

between  him  and  the  beasts  of  the  field !  nay,  he  even  sets  himself 
below  them,  for  instinct  prevents  the  beast  from  going  to  that  excess, 
which  reason  does  not  hinder  the  drunkard  from  reaching.  In  fact, 
says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  when  animals  eat  and  drink,  they  take 
only  what  is  sufficient  to  satisfy  their  wants,  while  man  transcends 
all  bounds  and  goes  even  to  excess.  Is  it  not  a  shame  that  he,  to 
whom  God  has  given  an  absolute  empire  over  all  inferior  beings, 
should  place  himself  beneath  them, — that  the  slave  should  become 
master,  and  the  master  slave  ?  The  Holy  Ghost  refers  the  sluggard 
to  the  ant  to  learn  from  it  prudence  and  wisdom  :  permit  me  to 
send  the  glutton  and  drunkard  to  learn  from  the  brutes  the  rules 
of  temperance,  and  that  they  alone  give  themselves  up  to  a  raven- 
ous propensity,  that  they  alone  seek  sensuality  in  the  necessity  of 
eating  and  drinking,  and  find  weakness,  infirmities,  sickness  and 
death,  where  they  should  have  found  vigor,  life  and  health.  Is  it 
not  true  that  Gluttony  kills  more  than  the  sword,  and  that  it 
engenders  and  develops  the  germ  of  far  the  greater  number  of 
diseases  which  afflict  and  destroy  men  ?  Who  then  can  imagine 
that  this  vice  is  not  a  crime  ?  Does  it  not  render  us  odious  to  God, 
deprive  us  of  His  grace  and  love  ? — is  it  not  a  vice  which  the  holy 
doctors  of  the  Church  call  the  father  of  iniquity,  the  foe  of  virtue,  a 
voluntary  demon,  the  shame  and  disgrace  of  the  human  family  ? 

Be  not  deceived,  my  Brethren,  this  is  a  most  criminal  vice,  for 
the  Lord  has  cursed  it.  "  Woe  to  you,  that  are  mighty  to  drink  wine, 
and  stout  men  at  drunkenness :  .  . .  therefore,  as  the  tongue  of  the  fire 
devoureth  the  stubble,  arid  the  heat  of  the  flame  consumeth  it ;  so 
shall  their  root  be  as  ashes,  their  bud  go  up  as  dust."* 

The  Almighty  declared  by  the  mouth  of  His  Apostle,  that  drunk- 
ards shall  not  possess  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  "Take  heed  to 
yourselves,"  says  the  Holy  Ghost,  "lest  perhaps  your  hearts  be 
overcharged  with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness."  The  liquor,  which 
you  drink  in  such  quantities,  will  enter  "pleasantly,  but  in  the  end 
it  will  bite  like  a  snake,  and  will  spread  abroad  poison  like  a 
basilisk."! 

Justly  then,  my  Brethren,  should  we  detest  this  vice,  which 
degrades  and  brutalizes  man,  destroys  his  health,  shortens  his  days, 

*  Tgams,  v  :  22.  t  Proverbs,  xxiii :  31,  32. 


ON    GLUTTONY    OR    INTEMPERANCE.  475 

renders  him  odious  to  God,  and  finally  plunges  him  into  the  abyss 
of  eternal  misery,  after  having  led  him  in  this  world  through  all 
the  wicked  ways  of  sin  and  error. 

St.  Chrysostom  was  right  when  he  compared  drunkenness  to  a 
stagnant  pool  full  of  pestiferous  water.  As  it  engenders  serpents 
and  other  venomous  animals,  drunkenness  hegets  all  other  vices. 
You  know  it  well, — the  fatal  passion  of  Intemperance  is  the  fruitful 
cause  of  disputes  and  quarrels.  Too  often  the  meetings  of  friends 
degenerate  into  bloody  fights,  and  the  halls  of  drinking  saloons  are 
transformed  into  battle  fields. 

The  drunkard  is  also  the  slave  of  lust.  "  Wine  is  a  luxurious 
thing,  says  the  Holy  Ghost,  "  and  drunkenness  riotous :  whosoever 
is  delighted  therewith  shall  not  be  wise."*  When  the  body  is  sur- 
feited with  eating  and  drinking,  the  virtue  of  the  soul  is  destroyed 
by  lust.  It  is  among  drunkards  that  you  will  find  youths  without 
modesty,  —  faithless  husbands  and  wives,  —  old  people  without 
shame,  dishonoring  their  grey  hairs  by  this  abject  vice. 

The  drunkard  is  also  irreligious.  See  this  young  man,  who  once 
had  the  courage  to  fulfill  all  his  duties,  and  lead  a  truly  Christian 
life.  Now  he  renounces  prayer,  neglects  Mass,  forsakes  the  sacra- 
ments, forgets  the  truths  of  religion,  abhors  sermons,  and  no  longer 
adores  God.  St.  Ambrose  says,  sobriety  is  the  mother  of  faith,  and 
Intemperance  the  mother  of  infidelity.  But  the  drunkard  will  say 
to  us:  "despite  my  excesses,  and  however  criminal  they  may  appear 
to  you,  I  still  preserve  my  faith  and  hold  on  to  my  religion." 
I  answer  in  the  words  of  St.  Paul :  You  serve  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ, — you  serve  your  belly ;  that  is  your  god,  to  it  you  render 
your  worship,  to  it  you  offer  the  sacrilegious  homage  of  your  affec- 
tions ;  you  have  no  religion  ! 

But  there  are  yet  other  evils  arising  to  the  drunkard  from  his 
drunkenness,  and  as  chief  among  them  we  may  reckon  the  neglect 
of  all  the  duties  of  his  state,  and  the  ruin  of  his  family.  What, 
indeed,  can  we  expect  from  the  father,  who  gives  himself  up  to 
excessive  drinking,  and  spends  his  time  in  the  beer  shops,  instead 
of  being  engaged  at  his  work  ?  In  place  of  providing  for  his 
children  and  enriching  his  family,  whatever  property  he  may  have 

*  Proverbs,  xx :  1 . 


476  SHORT    S  E  K  M  O  N  S  . 

inherited  is  squandered  in  folly,  and  his  earnings  spent  in  paying 
the  debts  contracted  by  his  Intemperance.  He  soon  becomes  both 
unable  and  unwilling  to  work,  and  spends  his  time  with  idle 
vagrants,  who  support  themselves  by  dishonesty  and  crime.  Yes  ! 
drunkenness  also  makes  a  man  dishonest.  To  frequent  the  drinking 
house,  the  drunkard  must  have  money,  and  there  is  no  act  so  base, 
none  so  unjust  that  he  will  not  commit  to  obtain  the  means  of 
gratifying  his  passion  for  drink.  Therefore  it  is  that  we  so  often 
hear  of  habitual  drunkards  being  caught  in  the  very  act  of  stealing. 
The  Holy  Ghost  says:  "A  workman  that  is  a  drunkard  shall  not 
be  rich;"*  shame  and  confusion  shall  entirely  overwhelm  him. 
Yes,  shame  on  the  drunkard !  shame  on  the  slaves  of  this  infamous 
vice  !  For,  see,  my  Brethren,  see ;  in  that  house  are  children  in 
need  of  the  commonest  necessaries  of  life,  and  dying  through  want. 
They  are  hungry,  cold  and  naked,  while  their  father  is  at  the  very 
same  moment  in  the  tavern,  brutalizing  himself  with  drink.  They 
weep,  poor  children,  with  their  unfortunate  mother,  but  their  tears 
shall  soon  give  place  to  terror.  Listen !  do  you  not  hear  in  the 
distance  an  approaching  noise  ?  It  is  the  sound  of  blasphemy  and 
imprecations,  which  announces  the  return  of  the  father.  The  door 
is  opened  :  he  enters  with  a  Volley  of  curses  and  blasphemies.  All 
tremble, — all  fly  before  him.  0  ye  drunkards,  how  great  is  the 
crime  you  commit !  and  how  great  the  scandal  you  give  your 
children  !  perhaps  they  will  imitate  you,  will  walk  in  your  footsteps, 
and  one  day  will  make  you  pay  dearly  for  your  present  criminal 
conduct !  Have  you  never  seen  a  drunken  and  unnatural  son  drag 
his  father  by  his  gray  hairs  through  the  mire,  and  trample  beneath 
his  feet  the  breast  that  nourished  him  ?  Look  closely  at  that  intox- 
icating cup,  which  you  are  about  to  drink,  and  you  shall  see  in  it  the 
bitterness  of  discord,  enmity,  hatred,  disputes  and  fights  ;  you  shall 
see  there  tears, — blood, — your  ruin  for  time  and  for  eternity  !  and 
will  you  still  dare  continue  in  your  mad  career?  Will  you  never 
be  converted  ?  Not,  I  suppose,  while  you  are  in  health.  Will  you 
even  at  the  hour  of  death?  So  rare  is  the  conversion  of  the  drunk- 
ard that  it  almost  deserves  to  be  counted  a  miracle.  And  how 
many  are  the  drunkards  who  die  in  a  state  of  complete  insensibility, 

*  Ecclesiasticus,  xix  :  1. 


ON    ANGER.  477 

whose  souls  awaken  only  at  the  foot  of  God's  judgment  throne  ! 
What  an  awful  death  !     What  a  terrible  judgment ! 

O  my  Brethren,  remember,  all  the  days  of  your  life,  that  it  is 
written  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that  drunkards  shall  never  possess 
the  kingdom  of  God.*  On  whom  does  every  misfortune  fall  ? 
The  Divine  Spirit  says  :  on  them  "  that  pass  their  time  in  wine, 
and  study  to  drink  off  their  cups."-)-  Recollect  the  evils,  the  vices, 
and  the  crimes,  the  shame  and  infamy  which  flow  so  abundantly 
from  this  dreadful  vice  ;  dread  it, — never  contract  the  habit  of 
drinking,  and  avoid  the  society  of  habitual  drinkers.  Christians, 
remember  that  it  was  to  condemn  and  expiate  your  unhappy  ex- 
cesses that  the  Son  of  God  willed  that  His  burning  thirst  should  be 
cooled  with  vinegar  and  gall,  upon  the  cross  on  which  He  died  for 
you.  From  the  height  of  that  cross  He  still  says  to  you:  "Take 
heed  to  yourselves,  lest  perhaps  your  hearts  be  overcharged  with 
surfeiting  and  drunkenness." — AMEN. 


SERMON  XCVIII. 

ON  ANGER. 


"Be  not  quickly  angry:  for  anger  resteth  in  the  bosom  of  a  fool." — ECCLESI- 
ASTES,  vii:  10. 

INTEMPERANCE  in  eating  or  drinking  is  an  odious  vice,  exceedingly 
displeasing  to  God,  and  deserving  our  most  sincere  detestation,  As 
long  as  you  bear  in  mind  what  I  told  you  in  my  last  instruction, 
you  will  never  give  yourselves  up  to  this  abominable  sin.  I  intend 
speaking  to  you  to-day  of  another  vice  still  more  common,  and 
which  seems  even  less  dreaded,  since  people  often  urge  it  as  an 
excuse  for  the  sins  which  they  have  committed.  The  words  of 
Holy  Writ,  which  I  have  just  cited  in  my  text,  have  already  told 

*  1  Corinthians,  vi.        t  Proverbs,  xxiii :  30.        J  Ecclesiasticus,  xix. 


478  SHORT    SERMONS. 

you  that  Anger  is  an  act  of  folly,  and  that  it  rests  in  the  hosom  of 
fools.  But  it  is  still  worse,  my  Brethren,  for  Anger  is  often  a  very 
grievous  sin,  one  which  merits  a  place  among  the  capital  sins,  because 
it  is  the  origin  of  many  others  grievously  offensive  to  the  Lord. 

What  is  Anger  ?  Anger  is  an  inordinate  emotion,  which  induces 
us  to  repel  with  violence  what  displeases  us.  Commonly  speaking, 
Anger  is  the  effect  of  a  passion  which  sways  the  heart,  and  which  is 
excited  at  the  sight  of  any  obstacle  which  opposes  the  fulfillment  of 
its  desires.  The  proud  man  breaks  out  against  whatever  wounds  his 
vanity  or  ambition ;  the  miser  is  provoked  when  any  thing  disturbs 
his  projects  of  gain ;  sensual  persons  are  exasperated  whenever  they 
are  thwarted  in  their  pleasures.  This  anger  is  not  according  to 
God  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  Lord  condemns  it.  He  wishes  that  we 
who  have  the  happiness  of  being  called,  and  who  are  in  reality  His 
children,  should  practice  charity  toward  one  another,  and  that  we 
should  look  upon  one  another  as  brethren.  Hence,  the  Apostle 
says  to  us:  "Bear  with  one  another,  and  you  shall  fulfill  the  law 
of  God."  Christians,  we  are  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  we 
should  all  walk  in  His  footsteps.  "  I  came  into  the  world,"  He  says, 
"  that  you  may  have  a  model.  I  have  given  you  an  example,  that 
you  may  imitate,  and  do  what  I  have  done.  Learn  of  me,  because 
I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart."  We  must,  therefore,  labor 
strenuously  to  approach  as  near  as  possible  to  this  divine  model ; 
"I  beseech  you  therefore,"  with  the  illustrious  Apostle  St.  Paul, 
"  to  conduct  yourselves  in  such  a  manner,  that  you  may  be  worthy 
of  the  high  state  to  which  you  have  been  called ;  in  all  things, 
practicing  humility,  meekness,  patience,  supporting  one  another  in 
charity."  Now,  he  that  gives  way  to  Anger  and  opens  his  heart 
to  the  fell  spirit  of  revenge,  acts  in  direct  opposition  to  what 
God  commands,  he  refuses  to  follow  his  Saviour,  and  despises  the 
admonition  and  exhortations  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  can  no  longer 
be  considered  a  disciple  of  Him,  who  loved  us  so  much,  that  He 
wished  to  die  for  us,  and  was  pleased  to  be  led  to  the  cruel  punish- 
ment of  the  cross  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,  without  opening  His 
mouth.  This  thought  alone,  dear  Christians,  should  be  sufficient  to 
make  us  detest  Anger.  But  you  will  understand  still  better  how 
frightful  is  this  vice,  when  you  consider  the  sad  effects  which  it 
produces  and  the  sins  which  it  causes  us  to  commit. 


ON    ANGER.  479 

I  wish  that  an  angry  man  could  see  himself  in  a  glass,  when  under 
the  influence  of  his  passion.  The  change  in  his  features  would  make 
the  degradation  of  his  soul  so  manifest,  that  he  could  not  help  being 
completely  ashamed  of  the  disgusting  spectacle  which  he  would 
present  to  others.  See  that  man  whose  Anger  has  got  the  better 
of  him ;  his  eyes  are  inflamed,  his  lips  tremble,  he  foams  from  the 
mouth,  his  hairs  stand  erect,  his  face  seems  on  fire, — his  words  are 
furious, — sharp, — half-broken, — all  his  body  is  in  convulsive  move- 
ments. And  is  this,  0  my  God,  a  Christian?  is  this,  my  divine 
Lord,  one  of  Thy  disciples,  —  one  of  Thy  brethren  ?  He  is  not 
even  a  man,  but  a  raging  beast,  ready  to  tear  every  thing  to  pieces, 
if  he  be  not  caged.  He  thirsts  for  vengeance  ;  not  having  it  in  his 
power  to  obtain  it,  he  invokes  the  demons  to  assist  him,  and  in  his 
mad  rage  outrageously  blasphemes  the  holy  name  of  the  Omnipo- 
tent God.  Impious  wretch,  he  would  tear  the  Almighty  from  His 
throne,  to  sacrifice  Him  to  the  abominable  spirit  which  governs  him. 

What  a  frightful  spectacle,  my  Brethren,  and  how  well  calculated 
to  horrify  every  man  who  has  any  idea  of  his  own  dignity,  or  any 
fear  of  the  Lord  !  But  not  only  does  Anger  render  a  man  like  a 
savage  and  ferocious  animal,  it  also  destroys  the  peace  and  tran- 
quillity of  families ;  it  sows  broadcast  the  seeds  of  discord,  hatred 
and  enmity  between  citizens  of  the  same  country,  between  inhabit- 
tants  of  the  same  city,  between  neighbors,  even  between  children 
of  one  and  the  same  mother.  Not  unfrequently  it  causes  the  most 
crying  acts  of  injustice, — it  strikes  and  wounds, — it  gives  rise  to 
murders  and  homicides.  The  angry  man  hears  not  what  is  said, 
sees  not  what  takes  place  before  his  eyes,  and  has  but  an  imperfect 
knowledge  of  what  he  himself  does.  The  angry  man  is  capable 
of  breaking  in  pieces  his  most  precious  things,  he  is  disposed  to 
outrage  what  he  ought  most  to  venerate,  to  insult  him  whom  he 
should  most  revere,  to  slay  the  very  being  who  is  nearest  and 
dearest  to  his  heart.  Yes,  truly,  there  is  blood  in  the  ungovernable 
passion  of  Anger  ! 

In  the  very  earliest  dawn  of  history,  I  behold  the  earth  crimsoned 
with  blood,  and  it  is  with  innocent  blood,  shed  by  a  brother's  hand. 
Cain,  jealous  and  frantic  because  God  has  rejected  his  sacrifice, 
murders  his  brother  Abel  through  anger.  David  delivered  Saul 
from  the  proud  Philistines  who  daily  came  to  insult  the  army  of 


480  S  II  O  K  T  .  8  E  R  M  O  N  S  . 

the  people  of  God  ;  David  bravely  fought  for  his  country  and  his 
king,  and  victory  crowned  his  efforts.  Saul  ought  to  have  joined 
his  people  and  united  his  voice  with  those  of  his  subjects  in  cele- 
brating the  glory  and  triumph  of  the  young  warrior.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  is  incensed, — he  gives  himself  up  to  Anger,  and  wishes  to 
pierce  the  heart  of  his  liberator. 

The  sweet  delights  of  peace  and  harmony  reigned  in  the  happy 
family  of  the  holy  old  man,  Tobias  ;  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  could 
mar  their  happiness :  but,  behold,  the  wife  of  Tobias  gives  way  to 
an  unjust  fit  of  anger,  undeservedly  reproaches  her  husband,  and 
peace  and  happiness  at  once  disappear.  "The  Anger  of  man 
worketh  not  the  justice  of  God.*  A  passionate  man  provoketh 
quarrels  :  and  he  that  is  easily  stirred  up  to  wrath,  shall  be  more 
prone  to  sin."f 

The  inspired  penman  tells  us  that  the  passionate  man  shall 
become  guilty  of  many  criminal  acts  toward  his  neighbor,  and  that 
he  shall  be  his  own  murderer.  In  truth,  violent  outbreaks  of 
Anger  impair  the  health,  engender  diseases,  abridge  life  and  cause 
sudden  deaths.  Alas  !  how  many  people  are  there,  whom  my 
prayers  have  accompanied  to  the  grave,  who  now  sleep  among  the 
dead,  and  who  might  have  been  still  living  had  they  subdued  their 
Anger  ?  But  the  constant  indulgence  of  this  furious  passion  broke 
down  their  constitutions,  and  sent  them  to  a  premature  grave. 
God  grant  that  their  souls  are  not  lost,  that  all  feelings  of  hatred 
and  revenge  were  extinguished  in  them  in  their  dying  moments,  and 
that  they  have  departed  out  of  this  world  in  sentiments  of  perfect 
charity !  But  I  tremble  when  I  consider  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
places  Anger,  dissensions  and  quarrels  among  the  number  of  those 
sins  which  shut  heaven  and  exclude  men  from  the  kingdom  of 
God. 

But  is  Anger  always  sinful  ?  Is  there  not  a  just  and  reason- 
able Anger?  Yes,  my  Brethren,  there  is  a  just  and  lawful 
Anger, — it  is  that  which  proceeds  from  a  well-regulated  zeal  for 
the  honor  and  glory  of  God  and  for  the  preservation  of  virtue. 
It  is  of  this  Anger  that  St.  Paul  speaks,  when  he  quotes  these 
words  of  the  royal  prophet:  "Be  ye  angry,  and  sin  not."J  This 

»  St.  James,  i :  20.          f  Proverbs,  xxix:  22.          J  Psalms,  iv  :  5. 


ON    ANGER.  481 

is  not  only  not  reprehensible,  but  it  is  even  worthy  of  our  praise, 
and  would  to  God  that  all  Christians,  and  chiefly  those  who  have 
authority  over  others,  were  animated  by  it !  We  should  not  then 
witness  so  many  excesses  in  the  world, — we  should  not  then  hear 
of  so  many  scandals,  curses,  oaths  and  blasphemies.  This  justifi- 
able Anger,  which  is  not  a  violent  burst  of  passion,  but  a  holy 
indignation  produced  in  the  soul  by  the  desire  of  doing  good,  we 
would  like  always  to  see  in  you,  fathers  and  mothers.  What  happy 
results  would  it  not  produce  !  It  would  restrain  your  children 
within  the  bounds  of  duty, — it  would  banish  bad  habits  from  your 
houses,  and  God  would  be  feared,  loved  and  honored  in  them.  For, 
imitating  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  you  would  never  permit  vice 
to  soil  your  abodes,  which  ought  to  be  the  temples  of  the  true  God, 
and  houses  of  prayer.  Were  you  to  act  thus,  "you  would  be 
angry,  and  sin  not;"  on  the  contrary,  you  would  do  what  God 
commands  you,  and  He  would  approve  of  your  conduct,  and  bless 
you ;  your  Anger  would  be  far  different  from  that  which  our  Saviour 
condemns,  when  He  threatens  with  a  severe  judgment  those  who 
keep  Anger  against  their  neighbor. 

My  Brethren,  let  us  bear  in  mind  those  words  of  our  blessed 
Lord :  Be  not  Angry  against  thy  brother ;  be  quickly  reconciled 
with  thy  adversary.  "If  thou  offerest  thy  gift  at  the  altar,  and  there 
shalt  remember  that  thy  brother  hath  any  thing  against  thee ;  leave 
there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  first  go  to  be  reconciled  to  thy 
brother."*  Forgive  your  brethren.  "You  have  heard  that  it  hath 
been  said  :  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,  and  hate  thy  enemy. 
But  I  say  to  you  :  Love  your  enemies  :  do  good  to  them  that  hate 
you :  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  and  calumniate  you ;  that 
you  may  be  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven. "f  Live  in 
friendship  with  all.  If  it  be  not  possible  for  you  to  prevent  certain 
motions  of  Anger  from  rising  in  your  mind,  at  least,  endeavor  to 
have  command  enough  over  yourselves  to  repress  them.  Remove 
at  once,  if  you  can,  from  the  object  which  excites  your  Anger ;  keep 
silence  as  long  as  the  fit  of  passion  lasts ;  give  time  for  reason  to 
return  to  its  throne,  for  your  feelings  to  grow  calm,  and  judgment 
to  resume  its  empire  over  you.  Be  Christians,  resigned  to  the  holy 

«  St.  Matthew,  v.  t  Idem,  v. 

41 


482  SHORT  SERMONS  . 

will  of  God,  convinced  that,  without  this  holy  will,  nothing  takes 
place  in  this  world ;  and  then,  the  injustice  of  the  wicked  shall  not 
provoke  you  to  Anger, — calumny  shall  cease  to  exasperate  you,— 
you  shall  remain  immovable  amid  all  injuries,  because  you  will 
recognize  in  the  offence  which  you  receive  from  your  fellow-creature* 
only  the  chastisement  which  our  common  Father  inflicts  upon  you 
for  your  sins ;  you  will  leave  revenge  to  the  Lord,  and  will  never 
wish  to  depart  from  the  path  of  sweetness,  forgiveness  and  good- 
ness, which  your  Saviour  and  your  model  has  trod  before  you. — 
AMEN. 


SERMON  XCIX. 

ON  SLOTH. 


"He  that  tilleth  his  ground,  shall  be  filled  with  bread :  but  he  that  followeth 
idleness,  shall  be  filled  with  poverty." — PROVERBS,  xxviii :  19.  "Idleness 
hath  taught  much  evil." — ECCLESIASTICUS,  xxiii :  29. 

SLOTH  is  unquestionably  a  low  and  contemptible  vice  ;  though  at 
first  sight  it  does  not  appear  to  have  the  odious  character  which 
distinguishes  the  other  capital  sins.  It  is  only  when  we  have  thor- 
oughly examined  it,4  that  we  are  compelled  to  admit  that  it  is  a 
detestable  vice,-— a  dangerous  vice, — a  vice  which  causes  the  des- 
truction of  thousands  of  souls,  and  which  is  justly  ranked  among 
the  number  of  the  capital  or  deadly  sins.  You  will  acknowledge 
the  truth  of  what  I  advance,  my  Brethren,  if  you  listen  attentively 
to  what  I  have  to  say  about  it. 

What  is  Sloth  ?  It  is  a  species  of  dullness  and  sluggishness  of 
the  soul,  which  gives  us  an  aversion  for  virtue,  and  tends  to  prevent 
us  from  accomplishing  the  duties  common  to  all  Christians,  or  those 
which  are  peculiar  to  our  state  of  life.  It  is  a  mortal  sin  whenever 
it  causes  us  to  fail  in  the  discharge  of  any  important  obligation. 
There  is  a  natural  Sloth,  which  inclines  us  to  idleness  and  a  dislike 
for  labor.  There  is  a  spiritual  Sloth,  which  inclines  us  to  neglect 


.        ON    SLOTH.  483 

our  duties  as  Christians,  and  against  which  our  Saviour  forewarns 
us  when  he  says:  "Watch,  for  you.  know  not  at  what  hour  the 
Lord  shall  come."  The  two  kinds  of  Sloth  are  sisters,  but  they  do 
not  always  dwell  together.  In  fact,  a  person  may  be  vigilant  and 
active  enough  in  the  things  of  this  world,  who  has  but  little  care 
for  those  of  the  next ;  he  will  consider  no  labor  too  great  for  him 
to  undertake,  to  advance  his  worldly  prospects  and  increase  his 
fortune;  but  he  is  sluggish,  negligent  and  faint-hearted  in  what 
relates  to  the  service  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  He 
neglects  nothing  to  secure  himself  against  the  evils  of  time,  while 
he  does  nothing  to  avert  those  of  eternity.  This  Sloth  is  directly 
opposed  to  that  love  which  God  wishes  us  to  have  for  our  souls. 
It  is  directly  contrary  to  the  first  and  greatest  of  the  command- 
ments, which  is  the  loving  and  serving  of  God  alone.  Does  that 
man  truly  love  himself  who  has  no  relish  for  virtue  and  for 
heaven?  Does  he  love  God  with  his  whole  heart, — he  who  is 
careless,  indifferent,  and  even  cold  in  the  performance  of  what  God 
commands  ?  Far  from  it.  Therefore  it  is  that  the  Lord  declares 
that  he  can  not  endure  such,  and  that  they  will  be  rejected  by  him. 
If  it  is  one  of  the  first  duties  of  us  Christians  to  serve  God  witfy 
an  increasing  zeal,  to  love  Him  daily  more  and  more,  never  to 
look  back  when  once  we  have  put  our  hands  to  the  plough,  but 
unceasingly  to  advance  in  the  ways  of  perfection,  acquiring  every 
instant  new  merits,  and  heaping  up  riches  for  that  day  when  we 
shall  be  summoned  to  our  eternal  country ;  if  this  is  our  duty,  how 
can  that  man  be  loved  of  God,  and  what  must  he  expect  from 
Him, — who,  in  the  service  of  the  Lord,  passes  his  life  in  sinful 
idleness,  in  forgetfulness  of  his  soul  and  his  eternal  salvation ;  who 
has  no  care  to  increase  in  virtue,  piety  and  perfection ;  who  neglects 
to  discharge  the  most  sacred  obligations  of  his  state,  and  murmurs 
when  he  has  to  do  what  his  divine  Master  commands  ?  What  can 
he  expect  from  God?  Let  him  learn  it  from  the  Lord  himself;  by 
the  mouth  of  His  Prophet  Jeremias,  He  says :  "Cursed  be  he  that 
doeth  the  work  of  the  Lord  negligently  !  "*  Our  blessed  Lord  con- 
demned the  servant  that  neglected  to  improve  the  talent  which  his 
master  had  intrusted  to  his  care ;  He  commanded  that  the  barren 

*  Jeremias,  xlviii :  10. 


484  SHORT     SERMONS. 

fig-tree,  and  every  tree  that  brought  not  forth  good  fruit,  should  he 
cut  down  and  cast  into  the  fire.  "Cursed  he  he  that  doeth  the  work 
of  the  Lord  negligently ! "  Heaven  grant  that  this  awful  threat  may 
never  be  realized  in  the  case  of  any  of  the  souls  that  the  Lord  has 
confided  to  my  care !  Would  to  God  there  was  not  even  one  sloth- 
ful person  among  us !  But,  alas  !  it  is  not  one,  but  many  we  have 
in  our  midst,  who  seldom  or  never  think  of  God  and  their  salvation  ; 
who  have  no  taste,  no  zeal,  no  care  but  for  temporal  things ;  who 
run  after  these  with  the  greatest  speed,  while  they  are  slow,  sluggish 
and  heavy  in  pursuit  of  the  most  important  of  all  affairs, — that  of 
their  eternal  salvation ;  who  are  never  ready,  never  disposed,  when 
there  is  a  question  of  taking  part  in  a  good  work ;  who  neglect  the 
duties  of  their  state,  fail  to  comply  with  the  commandments  of  God 
and  His  Church,  because  they  find  them  hard  and  difficult,  or  who 
observe  them  only  against  their  will.  Alas  !  too  many  are  the  Chris- 
tians who  are  slothful  with  respect  to  God  and  their  souls  !  What 
a  multitude  who  suffer  the  days  consecrated  to  the  Lord  to  pass  by 
nnprofitably !  Who  content  themselves  with  hearing  a  low  mass, 
through  human  respect  or  custom ;  who  assist  at  it  with  distracted 
minds,  without  devotion  and  without  prayer,  always  finding  the 
service  too  long,  and  fearing  lest  the  minister  of  God  should  ascend 
the  pulpit  to  address  them  some  few  words  of  exhortation ;  so 
great  is  their  desire  to  hasten  back  to  their  business,  their  amuse- 
ments, their  wordly  pleasures,  or  their  sinful  gratifications  in  the  tip- 
pling shops  and  taverns  !  Is  not  the  number  of  those  unworthy  and 
criminally  slothful  Christians  very  great,  who,  though  heaping  sin 
upon  sin,  and  swallowing  down  iniquity  like  water,  yet  are  not  in 
the  least  disturbed  at  their  unhappy  state,  and  delay  their  conver- 
sion without  scruple  ?  They  resist  the  voice  of  the  Holy  Ghost  cal- 
ling them  to  repentance ;  they  return  not  to  God,  but  go  on  amusing 
themselves  in  the  paths  of  vice,  and  when  they  present  themselves, 
as  they  one  day  must,  at  the  door  of  the  bridegroom's  house,  must 
they  not  expect  to  hear  Him  say:  "I  know  you  not?"  They  lay 
up  for  themselves  a  treasure  of  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath ; 
and  when  shall  that  day  come  ?  perhaps  it  will  be  to-morrow ! 

These  also  should  be  reckoned  among  the  slothful, — who  shun 
and  hate  those  courageous  people  who  reproach  and  reprimand  them 
for  their  sins.  The  Holy  Ghost  marks  them,  so  to  speak,  with  the 


ON    SLOTH.  485 

seal  of  reprobation,  for  He  says  :  "The  man  that  with  a  stiff  neck 
despiseth  him  that  reproveth  him,  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed."* 
Such  a  one  sneers  and  laughs  at  simple  and  devout  persons,  mocks 
their  piety,  and  turns  into  ridicule  the  religious  exercises  which 
they  practice :  but  the  Scriptures  tell  us  that  there  is  in  hell  a  class 
of  miserable  wretches,  who  reproach  themselves  with  having  mocked 
at  the  just  and  considered  as  a  folly  the  regular  life  which  these  led 
on  earth.  Eternally  shall  they  repeat,  with  unutterable  grief:  "  We 
fools  esteemed  their  life  madness,  and  their  end  without  honor; 
behold,  how  they  are  numbered  among  the  children  of  God,  and 
their  lot  is  among  the  saints. "f 

Very  grievous,  my  Brethren,  are  the  sins  which  spring  from 
Sloth  :  it  produces  forgetfulness  of  God,  of  salvation  and  eternity ; 
it  begets  contempt  for  the  commandments,  for  the  word  of  God,  and 
for  the  practices  of  piety, — it  keeps  men  in  the  way  of  perdition, — 
it  is  the  mother  of  hard-heartedness  and  of  final  impenitence.  It  is 
therefore  with  reason  that  a  holy  father  calls  Sloth  the  bed  and 
pillow  of  the  devil,  and  that  the  Holy  Ghost  compares  it  to  a  wild 
and  uncultivated  ground,  full  of  bad  weeds,  and  whose  entire  surface 
is  covered  with  thorns.  It  is  a  dismal  solitude,  for  the  soul  in 
which  it  prevails  possesses  no  virtiie ; — it  is  a  dreary  desert,  full  of 
horrors,  for  sin  abounds  there.  Surely,  my  Brethren,  you  will 
dread  and  shun  Sloth,  since  you  wish  to  please  God  and  gain 
heaven.  Thank  God,  there  are  in  this  world  many  fervent  Christ- 
ians,— many  excellent  models  of  every  virtue.  No  doubt,  the  days 
in  which  we  live  are  evil,  still  there  is  a  goodly  number  of  people, 
who  endeavor  to  fulfill  God's  holy  will.  I  set  them  before  you  as 
an  example  for  your  imitation.  Yes,  my  Brethren,  imitate  these 
true  Christians,  who  piously  and  fervently  assist  at  the  prayers  of 
the  Church,  who  glory  in  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  delight  to 
come  frequently  to  purify  their  souls  in  the  salutary  waters  of 
penance,  and  to  receive  strength  by  partaking  of  the  bread  of 
angels  in  the  holy  Eucharist.  Imitate  these  true  disciples  of  the 
Saviour,  who  are  meek  and  humble  of  heart,  who  readily  forgive 
their  enemies,  who  love  their  neighbors,  and  have  compassion  for 
the  afflicted  and  the  poor.  Imitate  these  devout  parents  who  take 

*  Proverbs,  xxix:  1.  t  Wisdom,  v:  4. 


4:86  SHORT    SERMONS. 

good  care  of  their  families,  who  rear  up  their  children  in  a  Christian 
manner,  assiduously  watching  over  their  domestics,  and  estab- 
lishing the  reign  of  religion  and  virtue  in  the  hearts  of  all  under 
their  charge.  Imitate  them,  be  like  them,  laborious,  be  like  them, 
vigilant,  and  employ  in  a  holy  and  worthy  manner,  the  days  of 
your  life,  the  number  of  which  is  fixed,  and  for  the  good  or  bad 
use  of  which  you  must  shortly  render  an  account.  Let  us  carefully 
husband  those  precious  moments  which  so  rapidly  glide  away,  and 
which  shall  never  more  return.  Let  us  be  servants  faithfully  and 
constantly  occupied  with  the  work  of  our  heavenly  Master, — busy 
about  the  salvation  of  our  souls,  that,  when  the  Lord  shall  come, 
we  may  be  able  confidently  to  address  Him  in  His  own  divine 
words:  "I  have  glorified  Thee  upon  earth:  I  have  finished  the 
work  which  Thou  gavest  me  to  do."*  The  Supreme  Ruler  is 
just  and  equitable, — He  will  render  to  each  one  according  to  his 
works :  sorrow,  shame  and  confusion  to  the  slothful  and  negligent 
servant;  peace,  happiness  and  glory  to  the  vigilant  and  faithful. 
Endeavor  then,  my  Brethren,  all  of  you,  to  be  of  the  number  of 
servants  whom  the  Lord  loves  and  rewards, — it  is  in  your  power. 
If  you  fear  that  your  strength  will  fail  you,  pray,  and  God  will 
pour  into  your  hearts  His  graces  and  blessings,  fortitude  and 
wisdom.  Thus,  supported  and  strengthened,  you  shall  do  good, — 
you  shall  avoid  evil, — and  you  will  deserve  to  be  one  day  addressed 
in  the  consoling  words :  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servants, 
enter  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord." — AMEN. 

*  St.  John,  xvii :  4. 


ON    OUR    INCLINATION    TO    SIN.  487 


SERMON  C. 
ON  OUR  INCLINATION  TO  SIN. 


"  For  the  imagination  and  thought  of  man's  heart  are  prone  to  evil  from  his 
youth." — GENESIS,  viii :  21. 

IT  is  from  the  mouth  of  the  priest  that  the  faithful  must  learn  the 
science  of  salvation.  It  is  our  duty  to  make  known  to  you  the  law 
of  God,  that  you  may  observe  it ;  the  beauty  of  virtue,  that  you 
may  adhere  to  it ;  and  the  deformity  of  vice,  that  you  may  detest 
and  shun  it.  I  believe  I  have  fulfilled  this  duty  by  giving  you  a 
complete  course  of  instruction  on  Christian  doctrine.  Do  you 
desire  now  to  love  and  practice  truth  and  virtue  ?  Do  you  desire 
to  detest  and  avoid  vice  and  error  ?  Do  you,  in  a  word,  desire  to 
combat  and  overcome  the  natural  Inclination  to  Sin  which  exists  in 
your  hearts  ?  If  you  do,  make  good  use  of  the  means  which  I  am 
about  to  point  out  to  you,  and  you  shall  certainly  attain  your  desire. 

To  combat  and  overcome  this  invisibe  power,  this  violent  inclin- 
ation which  too  often  draws  us  away  from  God,  and  drags  us  into 
sin,  we  must  first  of  all  be  convinced  that  virtue  is  of  all  things  the 
most  necessary  for  us,  that  it  is  a  duty  incumbent  on  us  to  endeavor 
to  be  saints.  Now,  is  this  the  sentiment  of  the  generality  even  of 
Christians?  Alas!  how  often  do  we  not  hear  people  say:  "We 
are  not  angels,  and  can  not  be  expected  to  fulfill  such  difficult 
duties.  What  harm  can  there  be  in  following  inclinations  which 
are  founded  in  our  very  nature  ?  We  must  live,  must  get  on  in 
the  world,  and  this  we  never  can  do  as  long  as  we  confine  ourselves 
within  the  narrow  limits  of  strict  virtue.  What  we  do,  multitudes 
of  others  also  do,  and  why  should  we  not  live  like  the  rest  of  man- 
kind ?  Beside,  temptations  are  so  frequent  and  so  strong,  that  it  is 
impossible  always  to  resist  them ;  and  our  passions  are  so  violent, 
that  there  can  not  be  much  harm  in  sometimes  yielding  to  them." 
Such,  my  Brethren,  are  the  thoughts  which,  in  some  form  or  other. 


488  SHORT    SERMONS, 

we  but  too  often  hear  expressed  by  many  who  call  themselves 
Christians.  Can  we  be  astonished  that,  while  such  sentiments 
prevail,  young  men  are  to  be  found  without  shame,  and  young  girls 
without  modesty ;  grown  men  unjust,  and  old  men  irreligious  ? 
They  deny  that  virtue  is  a  duty,  and  consequently  make  no  effort  to 
practice  it :  but  this  is  the  language  of  vice  and  folly,  and  not  that 
of  truth  and  wisdom. 

No,  my  Brethren,  we  must  not  obey  the  voice  of  our  senses  and 
our  passions,  we  must  not  follow  our  animal  instincts,  as  if  we  were 
beings  void  of  intelligence ;  we  must  not  make  ourselves  like  to  the 
brute.  We  are  not  permitted  to  use  all  means,  whether  good  or 
bad,  just  or  unjust,  to  procure  for  ourselves  what  we  suppose  to  be 
useful  or  agreeable  to  us  in  this  world.  The  Almighty  has  given 
us  reason  and  conscience,  that  we  may  know  how  to  distinguish 
right  from  wrong,  good  from  evil ;  and  the  better  still  to  preserve 
us  Trom  being  deceived,  He  has  revealed  to  us  His  divine  will,  and 
by  the  religion  which  He  has  established,  made  known  to  us  the 
laws  we  must  fulfill.  "Be  ye  holy/'  He  says,  "for  I  the  Lord 
your  God  am  holy;"  and  again,  "be  ye  perfect,  as  your  heavenly 
Father  is  perfect."  Thus  too  by  the  mouth  of  His  Apostle  St. 
Paul,  He  assures  us  that  it  is  His  desire  that  we  should  all  become 
saints ;  that  we  should  contribute  to  His  glory,  by  advancing  in 
the  practice  of  good  works ;  should  put  off  the  old  man  conceived 
in  sin,  and  put  on  the  new  man  created  to  His  own  divine  image. 

Virtue  is  therefore  a  duty  incumbent  on  us.  He  who  denies  its 
necessity,  manifests  the  corruption  of  his  heart,  and  is  condemned 
by  both  reason  and  conscience.  He  belies  himself  and  speaks  thus 
only  because  he  wishes  to  lead  an  easy  life.  He  never  would  give 
expression  to  such  language  if,  entering  into  himself,  he  were 
seriously  to  consider  the  day  of  his  death,  and  the  eternity  which 
awaits  him.  He  certainly  will  not  speak  thus,  when  he  is  called  on 
to  leave  the  world.  He  shall  then  find  truth  in  his  heart  and  in  his 
soul.  On  his  bed  of  death,  surrounded  by  his  children,  he  will  say 
to  them:  "My  children,  be  wise  and  virtuous:  this  is  your  first 
duty ;  love  your  religion,  and  observe  its  precepts,  for  thus  alone 
can  you  attain  happiness.  Fly  vice,  practice  virtue,  such  is  the 
will, — such  is  the  command  of  God.  Walk  before  the  Lord  in 
justice  and  holiness  ;  resist  your  passions,  struggle  against  the 


ON    OUR    INCLINATION    TO    SIN.  489 

dangerous  inclination  which  incites  you  to  sin,  for  we  are  not  beings 
of  a  day,  who  appear  for  an  instant  and  then  fall  back  into  nothing- 
ness. We  were  made  to  live  forever;  eternity  awaits  us ;  eternity 
unceasingly  tells  us  that  we  should  not  live  here  below  like  the 
brute  beasts,  slaves  to  base  instincts  and  shameful  passions.  We 
must  do  good,  and  practice  virtue  if  we  desire  to  be  happy  in  this 
world,  and  eternally  happy  in  the  next." 

But,  my  Brethren,  is  it  possible  for  us  to  overcome  this  danger- 
ous enemy,  which  we  bear  about  in  our  own  hearts  ?  It  is,  pro- 
vided we  are  men  of  good  will.  Good  and  evil  are  set  before  us, 
and  we  can  choose  either,  for  God  created  us  free.  Man  can  love 
vice  and  live  in  sin,  or  he  can  choose  virtue  and  live  in  the  practice 
of  good  works.  All  depends  on  his  own  will.  But  innumerable  is 
the  multitude  of  those  who  want  this  good  will,  and  few  desire  to 
do  violence  to  themselves.  It  is  so  much  easier  to  give  reins  to  our 
passions,  to  sully  our  souls  with  a  mass  of  iniquity,  and  then  to 
say:  "How  violent  the  inclination  which  leads  us  to  sin!  How 
powerful  the  empire  which  passion  possesses  over  our  hearts !  How 
seductive  the  charms  of  bad  example  !  Who  can  successfully  con- 
tend against  such  enemies!"  Who  can  contend  against  such 
enemies !  The  true  Christian, — who  arms  himself  with  a  firm  and 
energetic  will.  "But  man  is  so  weak ! "  Yes,  man  is  weak,  but  he 
can  render  himself  strong,  he  can  give  himself  an  iron  will  against 
sin  and  passion :  all  he  needs  is  prayer,  for  prayer  is  an  omnipotent 
act,  which  places  the  strength  of  heaven  at  the  disposal  of  man. 
"If  any  of  you,"  says  the  Apostle  St.  James,  "want  wisdom,  let 
him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  abundantly.*"  "Ask  and  you 
shall  receive,"  said  our  blessed  Lord,  and  "if  you  ask  the  Father 
any  thing  in  my  name,  He  will  give  it  you."f  Pray,  and  be  assured 
that  God,  who  is  just  and  faithful,  will  not  permit  the  temptation 
to  be  above  your  strength. 

Nevertheless,  my  Brethren,  we  must  not  neglect  to  join  watchful- 
ness to  prayer.  Fear  presumption,  for  God  resists  the  proud  and 
lets  confusion  come  upon  them.  "  Watch  ye,  and  pray,  that  ye 
enter  not  into  temptation.  "J  "Work  your  salvation  with  fear  and 
trembling."§  Such  is  the  advice  which  the  Spirit  of  God  gives  us 

»  St.  James,  i :  5.  f  St.  John,  xvi :  23.  $  St.  Matt,  xxvi :  41.  §  Philippians,  ii :  12. 


490  SHORT    SERMONS. 

in  the  inspired  volume.     Distrust  yourselves  then ;  avoid  all  places 
and  occasions  which  endanger  your  virtue ;  shun  the  company  of 
such  as  would  lead  you  into  sin,  and  keep  far  from  you  every  thing 
which  has  been,  or  which  you  have  just  reason  to  fear,  will  he  for 
you  a  source  of  dangerous  temptations.     Assuredly,  we  need  not 
he  surprised  at  the  frequency  of  our  falls,  if,  though  conscious  of 
the  secret  and  powerful  inclination  which  drags  us  toward  sin  and 
vice,  we  nevertheless  dare  seek  those  occasions  wherein  we  have  so 
often  before  suffered  shipwreck,  and  place  ourselves  in  circumstances 
wherein  it  is  in  a  manner  impossible  for  us  not  to  yield  to  passion. 
Does  not  the  Holy  Ghost  tell  us,  that  he  who  loves  the  danger  shall 
perish  in  it  ?    If  then  you  desire  not  to  become  the  slaves  of  sin  and 
vice,  be  on  your  guard  against  every  thing  calculated  to  lead  you 
to  evil ;  take  care  not  to  add  to  the  natural  corruption  of  your  hearts 
by  excess  in  eating  or  drinking ;  avoid  and  detest  the  reading  of 
those  books  or  papers  wherein  religion  or  morality  is  set  at  naught ; 
shun,  as  you  would  a  plague,  the  pestiferous  breath  of  those  men 
whose  lips  distil  the  poison  of  impurity  or  impiety ;  renounce  for 
ever  that  society,  that  connection,  those  pleasures  and  diversions 
which  have  so  often  proved  a  rock  of  scandal  to  you.     Furnish  no 
new  fuel  to  the  fire  you  would  extinguish.     Is  it  your  desire  to 
weaken  and  subdue  in  yourselves  the  inclination  which  leads  you  to 
sin :  refuse  it  then  all  nourishment ;  keep  far,  far  away  from  you 
every  thing  capafte  of  inspiring  bad  passions  in  your  souls.     No 
sacrifice  is  too  great  to  escape  the  misfortune  of  an  unhappy  eternity. 
Our  Saviour  bids  us  pluck  out  an  eye,  if  it  is  a  source  of  scandal  to 
us,  for  it  is  better  for  us  to  go  to  heaven  with  one  eye,  than  to  hell 
with  two. 

Still,  my  Brethren,  however  vigilant,  wise,  prudent  and  careful 
of  our  salvation  we  may  be,  we  shall  never  be  able  to  divest  our- 
selves of  all  Inclination  to  Sin.  The  Apostle  tells  us,  that  to  avoid 
all  the  occasions  of  sin,  we  should  leave  the  world.  Let  us  then 
ever  remain  justly  distrustful  of  ourselves;  let  us  remember  the 
presence  of  God,  and  never  forget  that  He  loves  and  recompenses 
virtue, — that  He  detests  and  punishes  vice.  In  times  of  temptation 
then,  let  us  say:  "To  preserve  the  grace  of  God  and  gain  heaven, 
I  must  fight  and  conquer."  Call  on  the  Lord  for  light,  strength 


ON    OUR    INCLINATION    TO    SIN.  491 

jfr:     -  .     \    $ 

and  succor,  and  like  St.  Paul,  you  will  be  able  to  do  every  thing  in 
Him  who  will  strengthen  you. 

It  is  thus,  my  Brethren,  that  we  ought  to  struggle  against  the 
bad  inclination, — against  the  passions  and  corruption  of  our  nature ; 
it  is  thus  we  must  overcome  "the  imagination  and  thought  of  our 
heart,  which  are  prone  to  evil  from  our  youth."  Be  convinced  that 
the  practice  of  virtue  is  an  indispensable  duty,  the  violation  of 
which  is  a  crime,  since  the  will  "of  God  is  our  sanctification."  Let 
us  be  persuaded  that  we  can  remain  faithful  to  virtue,  and  can  sur- 
mount the  vicious  inclination  of  our  hearts,  if  we  are  men  of  good 
will ;  that  all  we  need  to  obtain  this  good  will  and  strength  to 
carry  it  into  effect,  is  to  ask  them  of  God.  Let  us  be  prudent  and 
distrust  ourselves;  let  us  shun  as  far  as  possible  the  dangerous 
occasions  of  sin;  let  us  never  lose  sight  of  our  last  end,  death, 
judgment,  eternity,  and  we  shall  never  sin ;  but  shall  ever  remain 
virtuous  until  God  calls  us  to  heaven,  where  there  is  neither  sorrow, 
nor  pain,  nor  temptation,  nor  dangers,  but  eternal  happiness. — 
AMEN. 


THE     END. 


- 


,    .. 


r 


